Complications
by ItsSarah17
Summary: Chelsea has always been afraid to talk to the mysterious cowboy, Vaughn. Can she muster up enough courage to begin talking to him, and maybe even start a relationship? Or will things get in the way of her happiness? Please read and review!
1. Chapter 1

I trudged down the familiar path to West town after a long hour of tending to my crops. I should be used to this heat by now, being my second season on this island, but it still gets to me. I made my way to the animal shop to give Mirabelle the tomatoes she asked for. I also wanted to see Julia, who quickly became my best friend. I entered the shop and started for the counter, but I noticed Mirabelle wasn't there. I looked around and spotted Vaughn in the corner. He was leaning against the wall, watching me with a blank face. I hesitated before walking up to him.

"Hey Vaughn." I said cheerfully, but my gut wrenched in nervousness. I hardly talked to him in the month I've been here.

He grunted in response, tugging his hat down a bit.

"Um…where's Mirabelle? She asked me to give her some tomatoes when they were first harvested so they would be fresh and-"

"I don't care to know every detail. She's in back." He interrupted me, jabbing his thumb behind him.

"Oh alright…Thanks!" I gave him a smile but he only frowned at me. I walked around him and opened the door after a short knock.

"Oh! Chelsea, sorry dear. I was just cleaning up a bit." Mirabelle said when she noticed me.

"It's fine. I just came by to give you the tomatoes." I said walking over to her and hefting the last bag of chicken feed onto a shelf for her.

"Thank you honey! Come come, I'll pay you." She motioned me to follow her back into the shop. "How much would it be?"

"About…" I did the math quickly in my head. "400G."

She opened her cash register while I pulled out the three ripe tomatoes from my rucksack. I handed them to her and in return, she gave me the gold.

"These look great!" She said, inspecting them. "You're a natural.:

"Thanks." I said shyly. "Do you know where Julia is?"

"Oh she just left dear. I think she may have went to Taro's house."

"Okay, thanks." I smiled and started to leave. But before I opened the door I found myself turning to look at Vaughn. He was looking right at me. I gave him a little wave and he tipped his hat at me. Then I rushed out of there, feeling my face flush a bit. I always thought Vaughn was attractive. _Very_ attractive.

I shook my head and walked next store to Taro's house. I let myself in since I was close with him and his family. I found myself walking into an argument.

"You just can't do anything right, can you!" Natalie yelled at her brother, Elliot.

He tired to look tough, but failed miserably. "I-I said it was an accident!"

I saw Julia behind him, looking worried. She saw me and frantically waved her hands at me. I walked around the two siblings and up to her. She gave me a pleading look.

"This is all my fault!" She whispered to me, glancing at Elliot. "I was just stopping by to say hey-"

"And flirt." I added.

She ignored my comment. "-and I distracted Elliot and he dropped a box full of eggs. They were all smashed. I feel so bad!"

"Calm down Julia. It will be fine. I'm sure that he does this daily and this wasn't your fault."

She gave me a look. "Elliot isn't _that_-"

She was cut off by Taro walking in and screaming. "HEY!"

The room went silent and all heads turned to look at him. He stomped his foot and pointed his cane at the siblings. "What is going on? I can hear you two from outside."

They both looked at one another, then tried to explain at the same time. Taro become frustrated and yelled some more. I tugged on Julia's arm as a sign to leave. We snuck out the door and sighed. I glared at Julia.

"What?" She said innocently.

"You always start something with Elliot. You should know by now that your stunning looks blind him and screw him up.

She snorted and hit my arm playfully. "You're funny."

We started to walk, going nowhere in particular. "I'm serious. Leave the boy alone when he's working."

"I should say the same about you! You seem to always speak to Vaughn when he is the busiest. You're not going to make a good impression if you annoy him."

"What? Who says I want to make a good impression? I could care less. I'm not looking for a relationship. I have to focus on my crops."

"Alright, Farm Girl."

I rolled my eyes at her nickname. "Nerd Chaser."

She laughed. "I like that."

"Of course you do."

"Hey, let's go back to the shop. I'll make us some cold tea and we can gossip."

"We do that everyday. Your tea is starting to taste blander every time."

"_Elliot_ likes my tea."

"That's because _Elliot_ likes you." I said.

"Does that mean you don't?" She asked with fake hurt.

"Yes, it means I hate you." I said sarcastically.

She chuckled as we entered the animal shop. I glanced at the corner and found myself disappointed that Vaughn wasn't there. Wait, _disappointed?_ I shouldn't care if he is or not. He's rude anyway. I focused on what Julia was saying instead.

**A/N: This is my first fan fiction, so I'd love some feedback about this story! Let me know if I need to fix things or if the characters are OOC. Please review and then I'll decide if this it worth finishing =) **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I got a review asking to keep this story clean. And I'd like to say, that I too like clean stories, so there is no chance you'll see the F-word in here =) Thank you! Enjoy!**

I stirred some sugar into the tea Julia gave me in attempt to make it taste better. It didn't really work.

"What's that face for?" Julia asked, taking a swig of her own glass.

I looked up at her. "What face?"

"That ' I hate this ' face."

"Pshh, you know I love your tea. Even Pierre would be jealous."

"Oh stop it." Julia rolled her eyes.

"Maybe you should add some milk to it." I suggested. She seemed to take that into consideration, until she smirked.

"You know who likes milk?" She asked.

"No, Julia. Don't start." I pleaded.

"_Vaughn_ likes milk. You should give him some."

I groaned. "Please Julia. I only have one cow right now. That would take away from my profits."

"'That would take away from my profits.'" She mimicked me. I cracked a smile.

"I'm serious." I stood up. "I have to go. I left my chickens and my cow outside and I have to bring them in."

"Want any help?" She asked, also standing.

"Nah, why don't you go distract Elliot some more. I'm sure he'd love that."

"Fine." She pouted.

I smiled and headed for the door. As I reached for the handle, the door suddenly opened and hit me. I stumbled back a bit, startled. I looked up to see (of course) Vaughn standing there, looking surprised.

"Sorry." He muttered after a moment.

"It-it's okay." I stupidly said. I heard Julia snicker from somewhere behind me and silently vowed to hit her later.

Vaughn stepped back to let me past, which I did quickly. I avoided his eyes and made my way to my ranch. I felt embarrassed for what just happened. Why am I such a klutz? I took my time herding the animals back into their homes to pass time. When I was finished it was almost five. I would be meeting Julia and Natalie at the Diner in an hour so I decided to change clothes, considering I was drenched in sweat and grime.

As I was tying my red bandana I paused, thinking I could go without it for once. I wore it during work because it kept my hair out of my face, bout would I need it during dinner? I placed it on my dresser and picked up my rucksack, heading out the door.

Soon enough I was at the diner, but I was about fifteen minutes early. I sat at our usual table and waited patiently. I heard the bell chime, signaling someone's arrival. I turned my head to see who, but once my eyes caught sight of a cowboy hat, I looked back down at my table. I didn't know he came here too at this time. Wait, why was I so interested in him today? Usually I believe him to be rude and ignore him. I blamed Julia for putting these thoughts in my head. I looked at my watch and saw they were late. I sighed and wait some more.

And some more.

And more.

Where were they! It was 6:40. We meet here at six. Did Julia say something about not being able to show today? No she didn't. I sighed in frustration and looked around the diner. I saw Vaughn was finishing up his food and standing to him. His eye caught mine and lingered for a moment. Then he started to walk towards me.

Why was he coming over here? My heart leapt in its cage for a moment. The sensation was new and strange. I looked back down at the table, half-hoping he'd change his mind and leave.

"Julia told me to tell you that she wasn't comin' tonight. She and Natalie has some work to do." I heard his lightly accented voice say. I looked up at him, slightly annoyed.

"You're just telling me now? I've been sitting here for ever."

He shrugged. "Guess I just forgot."

He started to walk away but I stopped him.

"Hey! Don't just walk away." I said.

He glanced back at me. "Why not? I don't know you, and I don't care to."

I was a little shocked. "Why are you so rude?"

He paused, and looked at me. He seemed to notice something. "Where's your bandana?"

I gaped at him for a moment. That was a little off topic. "I, uh, didn't wear it tonight. W-why ask such a question? I was in the middle of scolding you!"

It may have been the light, but I swear I saw him smirk. "It's late. See you 'round."

He tipped his hat and walked out of the diner. What was that? Did he just change the topic to avoid getting yelled at? I didn't understand him at all. I left the diner, not caring to eat. I could make something at home anyway. I was determined to find Julia and find out why she and Natalie didn't show up.

I opened the door to the animal shop, praying Vaughn wasn't in there. He wasn't. I sighed in relief and walked towards the back where Julia's room was. Sure enough she was there, sitting on her bed. Reading.

"That sure does look like work to me. You must be exhausted." I said loudly.

Julia jumped and looked up. Her facial expression showed she knew she was caught. "Oh, hey Chelsea."

"Don't 'hey Chelsea' me! You are not working so why didn't you show up at the diner?"

She smirked but tried to hide it. "I just finished my work, gosh."

"You lie." I accused.

"Okay, it was Natalie's idea." She sighed in defeat.

"What was her idea? Ditching me and making me wait forty minutes?"

"Noooo, sending Vaughn to tell you we weren't coming so you could flirt it up with him." She giggled.

I glared at her. "Well he _didn't _tell me until he was about to leave! And I didn't 'flirt it up' with him either. Your plan failed, and all you've accomplished is making your best friend mad. Nice going."

She sighed and stood up from her bed. "Sorry Chels. We were just trying to help."

"Help what?"

"You."

"I don't need or want your help." I told her. "I told you before, I'm focusing on my work right now."

"Alright fine." She pouted.

"Thank you." I said.

It was silent for a moment before we heard the front door open. In the back of my mind I wondered if it was Vaughn, but I soon saw it was Natalie. She grinned at us and waved.

"Hey guys!" She said, bouncing onto Julia's bed.

"So it was your idea?" I asked her, glaring at my new target. She froze and looked at Julia.

"I thought it was a good one. You should at least go for a good looking man like Vaughn, instead of being like Julia here and going from my nerd of a brother."

"Hey!" Julia complained.

"I don't need a guy right now." I told her, and myself.

I really didn't. I had too much to worry about as it is. My crops, my animals, my silly friends that wanted to hook me up with the anti-social cowboy. They were insane.

"Sorry Chels." Julia said.

"Yeah, sorry." Natalie nodded.

I stared at them for a moment, then smiled. "You two are crazy. I'm going home. See you tomorrow."

"Night Chelsea."

"I better go too." Natalie said.

We left together and parted ways on the path. I hurried to my ranch and into my house. I felt really tired and just wanted to sleep. I slipped on my cow PJ's and into bed. I fell asleep instantly, like always.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I just wanted to say thanks to Swingdancer23 for supporting my story! I appreciate it ****J**

**(Also please excuse any mistakes in this story, or if it's just plain horrible. I didn't sleep last night so I'm a little off)**

I brushed my cow, Poppy, while speaking to her softly. She mooed happily and I smiled, getting ready to milk her. Once I was done, I slipped the tools and the milk into my rucksack and walked out of the barn into the cool fall air. I was immensely grateful of the season change. Summer was beginning to be unbearable. I made my way to the shipping bin and dropped my gatherings into it. Four eggs, a dozen carrots, a few grasses, and as I was about to drop the milk in, I decided to keep it. I was doing well money wise, I could live without some profit from one bottle of milk.

I left my ranch, humming to myself, feeling extra carefree today. It was almost winter, only a few weeks away, and I was looking forward to it. No more crops to tend to and the exciting festivals? Sleeping in? Yes my first winter should be great.

I spotted Natalie down the path and called out to her. She turned and waved at me, pausing to wait for me to run up to her.

"Hey." I greeted.

"You seem happy today." She said, smirking.

"Yeah, where are you going?"

She glanced down nervously. "Just to Pierre's."

I grinned, "Why?"

"He invited me over to taste of his cooking. He is trying out new recipes."

"Interesting." I said, nodding.

She ignored me and started to walk. "I have to go meet him, or he'll think I'm not coming."

"Have fun." I teased, walking towards the animal shop.

"You too! Vaughn's here today!" She snickered and jogged away.

Why did I care if he was here? I don't know what went through her and Julia's heads, making them think I liked him. Which I didn't.

I think.

I grumbled to myself, feeling my good mood slipping away. No, I _didn't_ like him. I didn't even know him. Plus, he seemed to really not like me. Other than the time at the diner, he was never even remotely nice to me. He would grunt and scowl at me, limiting his words.

I sighed, trying to regain my cheerful composure, and opened the door to the shop. I didn't mean to, but I glanced at the corner Vaughn usually stood in, and sure enough, he was there. He didn't seem to notice my arrival, and continued to stare at the floor, deep in thought. I looked forward and went to Julia's room, hoping to find her there.

She was standing at her mirror, fixing her hair, as if it was horribly messy. Which it wasn't. It looked fine to me. She saw me and turned, distress in her eyes.

"Chelsea!" She cried, rushing to me.

"What?"

"Elliot asked me to have lunch with him! Can you believe that? I thought I would have to ask him first." She squealed, grinning like crazy.

"That's awesome, Julia."

"But I cant get my hair right! And I'm meeting him in twenty minutes!" She panicked, running back to the mirror.

"Your hair looks great." I assured her. "As always."

She stopped to look at me. "Really? Are you sure? This one piece of hair just wont… ."

"Julia." I made her look at me. "You could go in your PJ's and no makeup and still make him blush and giggle."

She seemed to think about it. "I don't think Elliot giggles."

I scoffed. "Just go! You look fine."

"Okay." She smiled and ran to put her shoes on. "Oh, hey. By the way. I think you should talk to Vaughn today-"

"Julia." I warned.

"No listen. He seems down today. Like, more than usual."

"I'd probably make his day worse." I waved my hand, dismissing her.

"Just think about it. Maybe give him a little something." She winked. "Gotta run!"

She dashed out of the room. She sure seemed excited to go meet the quiet nerd. I really didn't understand what she saw in him, but as long as she's happy, I guess. I walked out of her room, about to leave to go who knows where. Maybe the beach or something. I paused, looking at Vaughn again. He still stood in the same spot. I wanted to talk to him, but if I did he'd just blow me off anyway. Right? I contemplated with this thought for a moment before deciding to just go over to him. What did I have to lose?

I casually walked up to him, stopping about three feet away. He raised his head a bit to give me a glare. I wanted to bolt right then, but I stood my ground. I cleared my throat quietly, gathering courage to speak. But he beat me too it.

"What do you want?" He grumbled, crossing his arms.

I stared at him, then coughed again. "Uh, just wanted to say hey."

He was silent, and just stared at me. I felt nervous.

"Go away, you're distracting." He growled, lifting his hand to point at me.

I blinked at him, not sure if I heard him right. Then I glared at him.

"How? You're not even working right now. You're just standing there, seething with anger for no reason. I don't get you."

He seemed surprised for a second, but then just scoffed. "You're not suppose to."

I thought about what to say. I really didn't want him mad at me. Again. My mind raced for a good excuse to keep talking. Then I remembered the milk in my rucksack.

"Actually, I came over here to give you this." I said, starting to dig in my rucksack for the item. He raised his eyebrow at me, seeming curious. When I pulled out the bottle his eyes widened a bit. I handed it out to him, but he didn't take it.

"What's this for?" he grunted, observing the bottle skeptically.

"You." I said, feeling unsure. " I just thought, 'hey he likes animals so he must like their products too.' Right?"

He glared at me. "You only have one cow, don't waste you're products."

He had a point. But was it really wasting? I didn't think so. I tried to think of a comeback.

"B-but I'm about to buy another cow. So, it's fine." I said suddenly. "That's another reason why I'm here."

He watched me for a moment, the grunted. "Whatever."

But much to my surprise, he took the bottle from me. Even if he did so as if he were taking it from a sickly person. But I tried not to care. I suddenly felt giddy and silly. I felt my face hit up a bit. I looked at his face, but he just pulled down his hat so I wouldn't see.

"Alright, well." I said, taking a few steps back. I couldn't help but grin. "See you around!"

I started to leave but he cleared his throat loudly. I turned to look at him, confused.

"You forgot to buy your cow." He told me.

"O-oh yeah." I said, mentally kicking myself. Did I have enough money on me? He would know I was lying if I didn't have enough. I slowly walked up to the counter to Mirabelle, who I seemed to forget was in the room this whole time. I blushed, embarrassed that she heard the whole conversation. She smiled at me gently.

"Um, I would like to buy a cow." I told her. She nodded and told me the amount. I pulled out my money sack and counted out as much as I could, but I ended up be a hundred gold short. I glanced over at Vaughn, to see him smirking as if he knew this whole time. If only I carried more money with me.

"Don't worry." Mirabelle whispered low enough for only me to hear, taking the money I had. "You can have a discount for all your hard work."

I sighed, relieved. "Thank you."

She looked at Vaughn, "Bring her new cow to her barn for her."

Vaughn looked surprised, but then ticked. He glared at me for a moment, before going into the back to get the animal. I smiled happily, looking at Mirabelle again. She nodded at me, signaling it was okay for me to leave. I waved goodbye to her and half skipped out of the shop. I decided to go to my barn to wait for my new cow, wanting to meet her right away. But before I went there, I stopped by my house to collect some money so I could eat dinner tonight.

Soon enough I could seen a dark figure entering my ranch, with my cow trailing behind him. I bit my bottom lip and smiled, thinking about what to name her. When I got a better look at her, I saw that she was very much covered in black spots, more than my other cow. I decided to be original and name her Spots.

Vaughn finally reached me and handed me the rope, which was tied loosely around Spots neck. I gave him a warm smile.

"Thank you!"

His face turned a bit pink, but he tugged his hat down before I could get a good luck. "Yeah, okay."

He started to walk away, but he paused.

"Thanks for the milk." He said without turning. Then he continued to leave.

I smiled to myself, hoping this meant we could be friends someday.

_Or more than friends_.

Wait, what? No, why was I thinking that? That was outrageous. He probably didn't want a girlfriend. For all I knew, he could be gay. But that thought disappointed me. I shrugged it off and gently pulled Spots inside to meet her new friend, Poppy.


	4. Chapter 4

I woke up to a constant drumming sound. At first I was confused, but I realized it was just raining. I jumped out of bed and to the window, sighing. At least it wasn't raining too hard. I got ready slowly, dreading the trip outside. I wish I actually had an umbrella. If only I would have thought of bringing one when I left home.

I opened my door and sprinted to the barn.

"Sorry girls." I said aloud to my two cows. "You can't go outside today."

Spots mooed, as if she was complaining. I smiled and began to pet her.

By the time I was done with my farm work, it was noon and I was soaking wet. It had began to rain harder during my run home, so I just gave up and walked the rest of the way. I showered and got dressed into jeans, a T-shirt, and a hoodie. I pulled the hood over my head and set off to see Julia. When I entered the shop, I saw Julia by the counter, looking depressed.

"Julia?" I asked, going over to her.

She looked at me and sighed. "Hey, Chels."

"What's the matter?"

She groaned, "Elliot."

I raised an eyebrow. "What happened?"

"Well we went out to lunch yesterday and he was so nervous, he accidentally spilled his soda all over me! Then he panicked, and tried to dry me off, but ended up somehow tripping a waiter. A waiters who's tray of food was dumped onto my lap."

I took in this new information, trying not to laugh. My lips trembled from the effort.

"O-oh really?" I managed.

She glared at me. "Go ahead laugh. Natalie already did."

I laughed for a moment, but stopped, trying not to upset her. I controlled myself and asked, "What did he do?"

"He all but cried. I rushed out, telling him not to worry about it." She looked heartbroken. "Those clothes were ruined."

"Aw man. I bet he feels really guilty."

"Yeah." She sighed. "I've been avoiding him ever since."

"It'll be okay. You two are surprisingly cute together, so don't give up on him."

"Sure… ." She looked down, then suddenly broke out into a grin. "Oh! Guess what?"

"Hm?"

"There's a new guy on the island. He's staying at the Inn."

"Really?" I asked, interested. I wondered if we could be friends.

"Yeah! His name is Mark, and he's pretty cute. And he's a lot like you! He wants to be a rancher."

"Wow. Maybe I should visit him."

"Yeah! Maybe you'll have more luck with him than Vaughn."

I groaned, annoyed. "Julia, I'm not-"

"I mean. friend-wise." She interrupted me.

"Oh…well in that case, yeah probably." I said slowly.

"Go say hi now! He's probably bored out of his mind cooped up in that Inn since it's raining. I bet he'd like some company of a women."

"What's_ that_ suppose to mean?"

"Nothing, nothing." She laughed. "Now go!"

"Come with me." I said.

"No! My hair would get messed up."

I rolled my eyes. "Please? I'd feel weird going alone. And you can introduce us."

"Fine." She said, getting up and walking to the back door. She opened it, going inside. A few seconds later she emerged with an umbrella.

"We only have one." She told me, looking sorry.

"It's alright. I'm used to it now." I shrugged.

We left, and I followed her to the Inn. The walk seemed really long in the rain, and my jacket was soaked through when we got there. I removed it and hung it on a coat rack by the door, hoping it would dry a bit by the time we left.

Julia lead me to a door and knocked on it. A few seconds later it opened, revealing a guy with blonde hair and a blue cap. His hair stuck out of it, looking kind of boyish. He had green eyes. He smiled brightly at us. Julia was only half-right. He was okay looking to me.

"Oh, hello." He greeted, opening the door all the way.

"Hey Mark.," Julia said. "I just wanted you to meet the rancher here, Chelsea."

He looked and me and grinned. He held out his hand for me to shake. "Mark, nice to meet you."

"Same to you." I shook his hand, but he seemed to hold on a little too long for my comfort. I broke it off and smiled politely. He cheeks turned a light pink, and he scratched the back of his head.

"So you run the ranch all by yourself?"

I nodded. "Yup."

"That's so cool. If you ever need help sometime, I'm willing to help. The practice would be great."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Julia was grinning like an idiot, probably planning our wedding in her head already. I glared at her, letting her know I wasn't interested. She only grinned bigger.

"Yeah, Chelsea get's tired sometimes. You know, from working so hard." Julia told Mark. I gave her a look. What was she doing?

"I bet." Mark said. "I'm surprised a girl is even working like that in the first place."

I turned to him, glaring. So what if I was a girl? Did that even matter? He seemed to notice my glare and his eyes widened.

"I-I don't mean that in any negative way!" he spluttered, shaking his head. "It's a compliment."

I nodded shortly, not buying it. "Okay. Well I better get going."

He looked alarmed. "Oh, but it's raining pretty hard out there. You sure you don't want to just wait it out here?"

"Yeah, I walked here in it, so I shouldn't have a problem walking back. Right?"

"Alright." He said. I picked up on some disappointment in his voice. "I'll see you around then. It was great meeting you."

He smiled at me. I gave a smile in return, then grabbed Julia and started to pull her out the door.

"Bye Mark!" She called before the door shut.

I looked at her, annoyed. "What was that about?"

"What was what about?" She asked, seeming confused.

"You know what." I said, grabbing my still wet jacket and draping it over my shoulders. "You're playing match up again."

"Well you two would be cute together." She responded as we exited the Inn. I rolled my eyes.

"Truthfully, I disagree. We seem too much alike. It wouldn't work."

"Oh, what do you know about relationships?" She complained.

She had a point. I've never had a boyfriend, even though I'm almost twenty-one.

"Nothing." I said. "But that doesn't mean I don't know if something will work or not."

"That's exactly what it means." She looked at me sympathetically. "You're so deprived."

"I am not."

"You sure are."

"I'm leaving you now, since you seem to thing that. I'm going to see Natalie." I told her, walking ahead.

She laughed. "Alright, fine. See you later!"

I sighed. Sometimes my friends were too much. I knocked on Taro's door, not wanting to walk in on another fight like last time. Felicia opened it and smiled at me.

"Oh, hello Chelsea." she greeted, letting me in. "Why are you out in this weather?"

"I don't let the rain keep me inside." I told her.

She nodded like she understood. "Natalie's in her room."

"Thanks."

I entered her room without knocking, though I seemed to startle her. She sighed when she saw it was me, and went back to reading a magazine.

"Hey." She said, flipping the page.

"Hey." I sighed. She looked up at me.

"Please tell me you're not depressed like Julia. I had to listen to her for two hours last night, droning on and on about how my brother screwed up. I knew he would. I warned her."

"No, I'm not." I chuckled. "I'm just annoyed. Julia is trying to set me up with the new guy, Mark."

"Mark, huh? I heard about him. What is she thinking? He isn't good for you."

"Thank you!" I said, sitting next to her on the bed.

"I still think you should try and aim for Vaughn. He's cool and mysterious. If I weren't set on Pierre, I'd give him a shot."

"What? Ugh! You guys need to stop trying to hook me up with every guy on the island."

"We haven't tried Fish Man yet." She said, smirking.

"You know Lanna likes him. Plus, he's like a best friend to me. A best guy friend. And I don't like fish."

She nodded in understanding. "I don't either. Only when Pierre makes it."

"Ew. How do you like him anyway? He looks ten years younger than you."

"He isn't! He is actually older than me."

"How does that work?"

She ignored me. "All the other girls have their eyes set on someone, so you should too."

"I don't like peer pressure." I told her.

"Me and Julia are just helping you. Though, I have no idea what she's trying to do, setting you up with your other self."

"Other self?"

"Mark is too much like you." She paused when she noticed my look. "Except, he's less awesome."

"Uh huh."

She shrugged. "You don't have to have a boyfriend. You can just want until all the guys on this small boring island are taken and feel left out and lonely."

"Gee, thanks."

I would find someone soon. I didn't need to latch onto every guy I see, hopping he's the one for me. I'll know when he comes. Right?

**A/N: So, this chapter was a bit boring in my eyes. So sorry. I just don't know where I want this story to go exactly. I'm low on motivation. Please review for me! And let know if you have any ideas…?**


	5. Chapter 5

The next few days passed slowly. It kept raining off and on, completely ruining my last days of fall. But I tired to be optimistic about it, thinking the rain was watering my crops for me. I harvested the last of the fall crops and dumped them in the shipping bin. I walked to my chicken coop, which now held six chickens. As I entered they clucked happily, crowding around me. I smiled at them, bending down to pet a few.

"Are you guys hungry?" I asked, going over to the feed dispenser. I went to grab some, but my hand came back empty. I checked again to be sure. I ran out? I suddenly remembered that I was suppose to buy some yesterday, but Julia had distracted me, and dragged me off to 'hang out' with Elliot. I sighed in annoyance and turned, facing six hungry chickens, all looking at me expectantly. "Sorry guys, I'll be back with food."

I decided to check my barn to see how much food was left there too. They still had a good amount left, so I fed them and tended to them quickly. I felt guilty for forgetting to buy the food, so I hurried to the animal shop. I walked up to the counter, slightly out of breath. Mirabelle looked a bit stressed, but she smiled anyway.

"Hello, Chelsea. How can I help you?"

"I need some chicken feed." I said, pulling out my money.

"Oh…I was afraid you'd say that. There's been an incident with our storage room. All the rain we've been getting leaked through and ruined all we had in stock. We don't have any feed, of any kind."

"What!" I asked, shocked. "When will you get more?"

"I requested Vaughn to bring some Wednesday."

"But that's two days away!" I exclaimed. "I don't have any chicken feed left. I can't let them starve for two days."

She looked alarmed and distressed. "Oh, dear… ."

I tapped the counter, trying to think. "What do I do?"

Mirabelle seemed to think too, looking worried. This was my fault for forgetting yesterday. My poor chickens… . I thought about my possible options, but came up empty-handed, yet again.

"Oh! Maybe you could go into the city and buy some." Mirabelle suddenly said. I looked at her, surprised. The city? I hadn't been there since…..

"T-the city? But how?" I asked.

"The ship comes by everyday at noon and six. You could catch it there and back."

I didn't particularly want to go to the city, but I knew I had no other choice. I looked at my wristwatch, seeing I had an hour before the ship came. I nodded at Mirabelle.

"Thank you."

She nodded, smiling. A bell chimed, and Gannon walked in carrying a toolbox and some wood. He strolled over to us, taking big steps, until he was right next to me. Or, over me. He seemed so tall and huge compared to my measly 5'6 height.

"Your shed need fixin'?" He asked, his voice booming.

I waved bye to Mirabelle and left the shop. I hoped I could find Julia and let her know where I was going. I decided to check Taro's house first, since there was a certain pink-haired boy she fancied there. I entered, opening the door slowly. Felicia and Taro sat at a table, talking. When they saw me, the greeted me.

"Sorry, I was just looking for Julia." I apologized.

"It's alright, dear. I think she and Natalie are at the Café." Felicia said, smiling at me.

"Oh really? Thanks." I excused myself before leaving to run to the Café.

I stopped before going in, trying to catch my breath. I looked at my watch again, seeing it was now 11:30. I didn't have much time left, so I had to make this short and sweet. I went in and quickly located them in the far corner, chatting. I walked up to the table.

"Hey guys." I said, getting their attention.

"Oh, hey Chelsea!" Julia said.

"Sit down and eat with us." Natalie said, scooting over to make room for me on the booth. I almost sat down before I stopped myself.

"I cant." I said. They looked confused. "I need to go to the city."

"Why?" Natalie asked, seeming appalled.

"I need to buy some chicken feed… ." I sighed. Julia seemed to suddenly remember something.

"Oh, yeah! Because our feed was ruined." She said.

"Yeah, and because I forgot to buy it yesterday. Though, I did have a distraction." I looked at Julia accusingly. She smiled meekly, mouthing 'sorry'.

"Sure." I looked at my watch again. "Anyways, I'll meet you guys here for dinner later, when I get back."

"Alright." Julia nodded.

As I was walking away, Natalie called out, "Be careful! There are weirdos in the city!"

I knew all too well that was true. I shook the thoughts away, determined not to let my chickens down. I went home before going to the beach, deciding to change clothes so I didn't stick out too much. Attention is not what I needed. Though, I kept my read bandana on, in case it started to rain again. My hair tended to get really frizzy in the rain.

I ran down to the beach just in time to see the ship nearing. I sighed in relief, glad I didn't miss it. I waited for it to dock, then boarded and paid for my ticket. I mentally noted that now I would be low on money during the winter. This just had to happen.

The ride took about an hour, so I just gazed off the side of the boat the entire time. I wondered if the city changed at all, or if the people were any nicer. I ruled out that second thing, knowing they probably just got ruder. If that was possible. Eventually it was time to disembark the peaceful ship, and into chaos. I tried to remember where an animal supplies shop would be located, but couldn't. I got directions from a kind old lady who was running a produce stand, a rare sight in the city. I followed them as best as I could, but I must have taken a wrong turn somewhere along the way, because I ended up in the middle of a enormously crowded area. There was a fountain in the center, so I squeezed through random strangers and sat down on the edge, sighing. A man sat next to me a moment later, seeming like he wanted to say something. I quickly stood up and walked away, my heart starting to race. There were so many people here, and I didn't know anyone. I couldn't trust any of them and I felt utterly alone.

I looked at every shop I passed, hoping I'd find the one I was looking for. After twenty more minutes of searching, I just gave up. I thought I'd find another nice person to ask directions, so I started looked around the crowd. Suddenly someone from behind me spoke.

"Chelsea?"

**A/N: Oh no, a cliff hanger! :P **

**Thanks for the reviews, I appreciate every one of them! **

**I started writing this chapter, honestly having no idea how it would end. But suddenly, inspiration stuck me! I'm actually happy with out this turned out, and I feel like it's an original situation that no one has written for Chelsea before. At least, I hope so. Anyways, Reviews are welcomed :)**

**(by the way, sorry it's kinda short)**


	6. Chapter 6

"_Chelsea?"_

I whipped around, startled. It took me a moment to recognize the stranger as a certain anti-social cowboy.

"V-Vaughn!" I stuttered, looking up at him. He looked surprised for a moment, but he quickly changed his expression to annoyed.

"Why are _you_ here?" He asked in a gruff voice.

"I'm looking for the animal shop here…I ran out of chicken feed and I couldn't let them go without it for two days. So I had to come here."

He seemed to grow angry. "You didn't keep track of their food?

"W-well I do, but I just forgot to buy some more because-"

"You forgot?" I noticed his eyebrow twitch. "That's so irresponsible. Are you sure you should be running a ranch?"

I was taken aback by the anger in his voice. I grew slightly annoyed. "People forget, Vaughn. It happens."

"It's carelessness. You shouldn't be putting animals lives at risk. I-"

"Look," I said, cutting him off. "I'm here aren't I? I came all the way here to the freaking city even though I _hate_ it here. Can you just show me to the animal shop so I can get out of here?"

He seemed shocked at my outburst, but nodded curtly and turned on his heel to lead me. I followed him closely, not wanting to lose him in the crowd. A few minutes later, we were in front of the little shop. It was less crowded here too. I sighed in relief as I entered the shop. It was empty, spare the person behind the counter. They noticed me, then Vaughn. He gave a wave to Vaughn, who nodded in response. I walked up to the counter and silently bought enough chicken feed. I barley stuffed them all into my rucksack. I felt a bit tired so I sat in a chair against the wall for a moment, taking off my bandana to cool myself off. It was so warm in the city.

I leaned back and closed my eyes for a second, feeling a slight headache approaching. I felt eyes on me so I looked to see who was staring. Vaughn quickly averted his eyes to another spot and huffed. I ignored him and closed my eyes again, trying to repress the headache.

Suddenly I woke up, not remember falling asleep. I looked around confused. Vaughn was behind the counter with his back turned, watching TV. The room was dimly lighted, and I wondered what time it was. I looked at my watch and almost screamed. The boat would leave in ten minutes. I stood up abruptly, knocking the chair over. It made a loud bang in the silence of the room, causing Vaughn to look at me, confused. I ignored him and bolted out the door. I ran in what I thought was the right direction to the docks, but I soon realized I didn't know where I was. Panic rose inside me, causing me to take short, quick breaths. I felt a sob catch in my throat.

I couldn't miss that boat. I couldn't stay in the city. It was dangerous after dark, and I had to feed my chickens. I desperately grabbed a random person's arm, asking them where the docks were. They ripped their arm away and said something rude, walking off. I glanced at my watch, and my hope died when I saw it was after five. The ship was gone. I was stuck here.

I found an empty bench and sat down, beginning to cry. What would I do? I didn't have enough money on me for a hotel room or anything. If I stayed outside I knew I'd be harassed just like before… . I pushed that thought away. That wasn't something I needed to think about right now. I needed to focus on a solution. Maybe I could find someone with a boat who could take me home?

I knew that was unlikely.

I don't know how long I sat there, thinking. But soon it was dark, and less people crowded the walkways. I buried my face in my hands, starting to cry again. I'd have to sleep on this bench, wouldn't I? The thought made me cry harder.

I felt a tap on my shoulder, and I shrieked, jumping up ready to punch the stranger in the gut. But I paused when I saw the familiar cowboy hat. I sobbed in relief, throwing my arms around his neck, glad I wasn't alone anymore. He stiffened, and pushed me away.

"S-sorry!" I said, trying to control my tears. "I didn't mean to. I just…I was scared. Sorry."

He stared at me for a moment, then shoved something at me. "You forgot your bandana at the shop. You're really forgetful."

I stared down at the bright red cloth, then touched my hair. "I did? I did… ."

I looked up at him. "Did you go out to find me, so you could give this back?"

He scoffed, looking uncomfortable. "I was just passing by and… ."

He trailed off, looking away.

I sat back down, fiddling with my bandana in my hands, again trying to think of something to do.

"Why were you crying?" Vaughn asked.

"Because I missed the boat." I told him, thinking it was obvious.

"Yeah…?"

"So, I cant feed my animals. And I have no where to stay. I don't have enough money."

He looked alarmed. "Oh… ."

It was silent for a while. So long, I thought he had left. But I looked up and he was still there, looking at the ground.

"Why are you still here?" I asked, confused.

"Well…I just can't…leave you here." He said quietly. Then he straightened up, controlling his expression. "I mean, if you were to get hurt I'd be held responsible. I don't need that trouble."

I looked down and smirked secretly. Was it me, or did he sound nervous? Did he actually care about my well-being?

"Since you cant go anywhere else, and I don't have money to throw away, I guess you have to stay at my place." He told me. I looked up, alarmed. At his place? I noticed a slight blush on his cheeks, but he hid it with his hat a second later.

"B-but…" I stood, tying my bandana around my head. "I-"

"Don't worry about it." He almost growled. "I live above the shop here. And I have enough room. Believe me, if I could take you somewhere else I would. I don't need some absentminded girl prancing around my place. But it's too late to make any calls to anyone else."

I smiled warmly at him, knowing he meant well. "Thank you so much, Vaughn! I don't know how to repay you!"

"Don't mention it. Ever." He scowled.

He waved for me to follow, so I did. We walked silently, but my mind was screaming. Was this a good idea? I hardly knew Vaughn, but I knew he wouldn't try anything, and somewhere deep down he was nice. Really deep. But I felt like I could trust him. Plus, it's not like I had any other options.

I hope Julia and Natalie wont be too worried about me, since I didn't show up for dinner.

I looked at Vaughn, feeling something strange. I tried to ignore it.

I hoped my chickens would be alright.

**A/N: There's just something about this chapter that I don't like. At all. :/ **

**It is short, and sloppy. Sorry. **

**Please help me with ideas for Chelsea and Vaughn's little sleepover :P I have none! **

**Review please! :)  
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	7. Chapter 7

Vaughn opened the door to his apartment and stepped aside to let me through. I looked around, curious. His living room was surprisingly neat and cozy looking, with a brown sofa with a coffee table in front if it. It sat across from an old television. The carpet was dark and the walls were tan, with a few pictures hanging on them. I didn't see any photos of family anywhere, just animals and various cowboy pictures. I held in a snicker as I wandered around. I felt Vaughn watching me, but I kept my back to him.

The kitchen was connected to the living room with an open walkway and an open window that had a small counter and bar stools pushed up to it. The kitchen look like a normal kitchen, expect it was dark and lightly decorated with old time-y looking items. I decided not to snoop around any further, in case it made Vaughn upset.

I turned to face him, but he wasn't there. I guessed he went to his room or something so I went to the couch and sat down, starting to feel awkward. A moment later he reappeared, holding a thick blanket and a pillow. I stood up and let him fix up the couch. Then he turned to me.

We stared at each other for a long moment, then his cheeks turned a bit pink. He looked away and said, "Follow me."

He lead me into the small hallway and into a room. I assumed it was Vaughn's. There was a large bed with black sheets and a black comforter under a window. There was a small dresser with a few things on it, including a box that reminded me of a chest. In all, it was a pretty boring room. I looked at Vaughn, wondering why he was showing me his room. He seemed to notice my confusion.

"Don't mess up my room, or go snooping around." He growled before leaving the room.

I stood, confused for another moment. I was getting his room? I felt even more guilty. I didn't want to kick him out of his own room. I went after him, planning to protest.

"Hey!" I called while entering the living room again. "I am not taking your room."

He glared at me. "Yes, you are."

"No. I feel bad about taking it. And I feel bad about even staying here. If only I hadn't fallen asleep… ." I mumbled the last part, looking down.

"Well you did. And now you're in _my_ apartment so you do what I say. So, you sleep in my room. Plus, you're a girl. I can't just…make you sleep on the couch." He seemed nervous near the end, and turned away from me.

I ignored his cuteness, trying to control the color of my face. "You're starting to sound like Mark!"

He turned. "Mark?"

"Yes! He is always pointing out I'm a girl, and how it's a wonder I can do farm work." I started to mimic him. " 'Chelsea, that looks heavy. Want help?' or 'Today's pretty warm, will you be okay? I can help with your farm work.' And the whole time he's blushing like crazy."

"I don't think you're not capable of doing hard work, Chelsea. In fact, I know you're great at it." He looked serious. Then he coughed a little, and suddenly seemed very interested in the show on TV. "Anyway, goodnight."

I looked down at my watch. It read 7:35. "Vaughn. It's way to early to go to bed. Plus, I haven't really eaten today… ."

He stood and headed for the kitchen. "Careless… ." I heard him mutter. I rolled my eyes and followed him. He opened a cabinet and looked in. "What do you want?"

"Anything's fine… ." I mumbled. He shrugged and pulled out a Ramen cup, then tossed it to me.

"There. You know how to use the microwave." He brushed past me and sat back down on the couch. I grumbled under my breath. Why was he so rude, then nice, and then rude again? I fixed my food while thinking about this. I couldn't come up with an explanation other than he purposely hid his true feelings. Which I knew was true, but I didn't know why.

I grabbed my cup after I found a fork, and went over to the couch. I plopped down right next to him and began to eat. He stiffened and scooted away from me. I stared at the TV, ignoring him. I haven't watched TV since I was last in the city. I grabbed the remote and started flipping through channels, curious to what could be on. Vaughn expressed his annoyance by sighing loudly. I settled on a random show and leaned back.

"So," I said, poking my food with my fork. "Do you own the shop downstairs?"

He didn't answer at first, but after a long moment he finally did. "My family does."

"Why don't they live up here too?"

He scoffed. "They didn't want to, so they all moved into a big house and made me stay here." He suddenly seemed surprised and looked away again. I guess he didn't plan on sharing that with me.

"I'd rather have my own place like this than live in a big house with my family." I told him, but when I saw he wasn't going to reply to that I went with something different. "Who works here when you're at the island?"

He sighed, as if he was tired of talking already. "My family takes turns working here everyday."

"You sound like you don't like your family much." I commented.

He grunted in reply.

"Why is your hat still on?" I asked. "You're inside now, so why don't you take it off."

He shrugged, and made no move to remove it. I set my now empty cup down on the coffee table and reached for his hat. He saw my action and grabbed my wrist, glaring at me.

"What are you doing?" He growled.

"Taking off your hat." I replied, not fazed by his anger.

"I don't need you to." He shoved my hand away and stood up, then disappeared into the hallway. I sighed and leaned back again. I was doing my best to not freak out about the fact I was in a man's house, who I didn't know very well, by talking. But he didn't seem to enjoy talking, so I was at lost. I thought about trying to sleep, but I knew I wouldn't be able too. On TV a movie was coming on that I've never seen before.

A few minutes later Vaughn came back. He was wearing black sweat pants and a nice fitting black T-shirt. He was also hatless, which pleased me. My mind stopped thinking though, once I _really_ saw him. Without his hat, you could clearly see his amethyst eyes, which were much brighter than I originally thought. His silver hair seemed even more amazing, and I could see his bangs, which hung loosely around his forehead, almost reaching his eyes.

I guess I spaced out because Vaughn was suddenly in front of me, staring down at me. I felt my face heat up instantly and I looked away. I had the urge to touch him; I didn't know why. I clutched the sides of my shorts so I wouldn't. I didn't need any more awkwardness tonight. Vaughn sat down, further away this time. I wondered if he though I was strange or something, because he seemed so….wary of me.

We sat in silence for a long time. I got into the movie so I didn't mind too much. At one point I forgot he was there, and when he cleared his throat, it startled me. I didn't look at him because I didn't really want to know what his face would say. And I was afraid I'd stare again.

Soon enough the movie was over, and it was finally late enough to where I felt tired. I yawned, then glanced at Vaughn. He looked at me at the same time, then away again. I stoop up, picking up my rucksack from the floor.

"Um…can I use your bathroom?" I asked him. He nodded shortly, standing. I went into the hall and found it easily, since the door was open. I was about to go in when Vaughn stopped me.

"Wait," He told me, and went into to his room. A moment later he emerged, holding some clothes. "You can sleep in these."

I took them and smiled. "Thanks"

I went into the small bathroom, trying not to think that it was _Vaughn's _bathroom and I was about to change into _Vaughn's_ clothes. God, what was wrong with me? Maybe Natalie was right… .

I stopped myself. No, she wasn't. I quickly put on the clothes he gave me; a large gray T-shirt and black pants. Luckily they had a drawstring or they wouldn't have fit. I stuffed my clothes into my rucksack, then looked into the mirror. I pulled my bandana off and tied it around my wrist. I tried to fix my hair as best as I could with my fingers, but decided it was useless since I was going to sleep anyway.

I left the bathroom and went into Vaughn's room to drop off my rucksack, then went back into the living room to say goodnight. The lights were off and it was dark except for the TV's glow. I saw him on the couch, but I stopped at the doorway instead of going all the way in.

"Goodnight, Vaughn." I said, "Thanks for…you know. Letting me stay here… ."

He was silent for a moment, then mumbled "Mhm… ." I was about to turn away but I heard him say "Goodnight." really quietly. I smiled to myself and went into his room, closing the door.

I was about to turn off the light, but my eyes caught sight of the little chest on his dresser. I walked over to it and ran my hand over it. It was cool to the touch and I really wanted to open it. But I knew Vaughn told me not to. I bit my bottom lip and glanced behind me. He wouldn't really find out, would he? I carefully opened the latch and peered inside.

There was only one thing inside, but it was beautiful. It was a silver necklace, a simple chain, with a small diamond encrusted horseshoe at the end. I wanted to touch it, but I thought I'd done enough, so I closed it gently, re-latching it. I shut the lights off and climbed into bed, wondering what the necklace was for. Or who.

I suddenly realized that I loved the way his room smelled. It was musky, but I caught the scent of cinnamon for some reason. Maybe it was just me. I closed my eyes and forced thoughts to quiet down, so I could get some sleep.

**A/N: This chapter took for ever, because I kept changing my mind and deleting paragraphs and restarting. And people kept distracting me from it too lol.**

**I think this may be the longest chapter so far, so yay for that :D **

**I want to say thanks to swingdancer23 for giving me some suggestions about this chapter! As you can see, I used one, and it actually helped me plan out future chapters, so thanks! **

**And by the way, their sleepover isn't quite finished yet -hint hint- ;)**

**Review please!**


	8. Chapter 8

I woke with a start, looking around. Where was I? I took in my surroundings slowly, noting it was still dark outside. I remembered I was in Vaughn's room, and sighed. Everything came back to me in a rush, and I sighed again, disappointed in myself. I felt the need to use the bathroom so I pushed the blankets off me and swung my legs off the bed.

I took a few small steps when suddenly my foot caught on something on the floor. I let out a small scream before I lost my balance. On the way down, my right shoulder blade hit what I guessed was the nightstand, then I hit the floor. Hard. I groaned in pain, my vision going a little fuzzy. The light switched on, blinding me.

"Wha-Chelsea!" Vaughn had his hands on me, moving me so that I faced the ceiling. I bit my lip, but didn't make any noise as my shoulder ached. "Are you alright?"

"Y-yeah…" I managed to get out, grimacing a little.

"Are you hurt?" Vaughn asked. He seemed truly worried. Vaughn was actually worried about me. Was this a dream?

No I couldn't be. The pain was obvious.

I glanced to my right, seeing it was the corner of the nightstand that I hit. "My shoulder does. A lot."

"Can you sit up?"

I nodded and he helped me up into a sitting position. A lopsided one. I gasped as a sharp pain shot down my back, then subsided into a dull ache. He maneuvered behind me.

"I need to look at your back." He told me. At first, I didn't think about it. But then I realized that required him lifting my shirt.

"NO!" I yelped, blushing madly. I scooted as much as I could away from him. I saw his confused expression and quickly made an excuse. "I-I can look for myself. In the bathroom. Just help me stand up."

He nodded, suddenly blushing too. He helped me up, then immediately let go of me. I stood for a moment, making sure I had my balance. I noticed that it was my own rucksack that tripped me. I went into the bathroom, shutting the door behind me and locking it. I didn't think he'd come in, but it just made me feel better.

I turned my back to the mirror and painfully lifted my shirt until I found the spot. There was a huge black and blue bruise already forming, and my skin was slightly scratched and puffy. I strained my neck to make sure I wasn't bleeding, relieved to find I wasn't. I let my shirt, or should I say _Vaughn's_ shirt, drop.

I suddenly realized that I would have some trouble with my farm work. I could barely move my right shoulder without causing pain to rip through it as of right now, so I imagined it would only get worse before it gets better. I groaned to myself, knowing I'd have to ask Mark for help. I also knew he'd flirt with me the whole time.

I exited the bathroom and came face to face with Vaughn, who apparently had been waiting in the hall for me to come out. He looked at me expectantly.

"It's really bruised and swollen," I informed him. "But I'll be okay. It could be worse."

Vaughn nodded, narrowing his eyes. "Yeah. You could have hit your head, and would have been done for. Why are you so clumsy?"

Was he really getting mad at me for tripping? "But I didn't. So it's okay."

He repressed a sneer, and turned away from me. I glanced at my watch, seeing it was only five in the morning.

"You should get back to bed." Vaughn told me before going into the living room.

I watched him as he disappeared, then went into his room and shutting the door. I pushed my rucksack against the wall, using my foot, so that I couldn't trip on it again. Then I got into bed and tried to put the covers back onto me using my left arm, but couldn't quite get them on all the way. I sighed and then tried to find a comfortable position to lay in. On my back…no. My left side…better but no. My stomach….caused my shoulder blades to move together. I gritted my teeth and sat back up, fighting the sudden urge to cry. I settled with propping myself up in the corner of the wall with pillows. I wasn't used to sleeping this way, but it was the only way my shoulder didn't hurt as much. I slowly fell into a restless sleep.

I woke up to the sound of Vaughn's voice. I forced my eyes open and blinked a few times. He was standing by the bed, looking at me weird.

"How did you sleep like that?"

I was still against the wall, but now slouching a bit. I decided not to move yet because I knew that would hurt a lot, since I hadn't moved all night and my shoulder.

"Very difficultly." I answered, not moving.

He regained his usual expression and said, "Well your boat will be here in about two hours. Get ready."

I waited until he left to move. I did it slowly, but I managed to sit up without too much pain. I braced myself before getting out of bed in one motion. My back tensed up around the sore muscle in my shoulder blade and it felt as if someone had stabbed me there. I stretched, hoping to reduce the pain, and tried to ignore the protesting aching. I felt a little better after wards, but my whole back was sore. I wiped away a tear that had somehow escaped.

I locked the door and quickly, and painfully, got dressed. The whole time yelling at myself for letting this happen. After I finished I tried to figure out where to put the clothes he had lent me. I spotted a hamper in the corner on the room and dropped them in there. Then I left his room after grabbing my rucksack. My stupid rucksack.

Vaughn was sitting at the little bar area writing down something in a book. I assumed it was for work. I cleared my throat causing him to look at me. I bit my bottom lip, suddenly feeling nervous. And guilty.

"Thanks so much for letting me stay here. And sorry that I…," I struggled to think of the right word. "was a burden to you."

I saw his eyes flicker in emotion, but it was too quick to identify which one. "You weren't too much of one… ." He muttered.

I shifted my rucksack on my left shoulder. I wasn't used to carrying it this way. "I'll get out of your hair now." I said this jokingly, so he wouldn't get mad or something.

I started for the door but he stopped me. "Wait."

He stood, closing the book and putting his hat on. Then he grabbed his keys and opened the door.

"I better show you the way, since you got lost last time." He said in a bored voice.

"Okay, thanks."

I followed him downstairs into the shop. I looked around, seeing no one there.

"Is the shop closed today?" I asked.

"Yeah I closed it. It's not like we get a lot of customers anyway." He said, grunting.

I didn't say any more as we walked through the streets. They weren't too crowded, which I was thankful for. I didn't need someone bumping into me, or my shoulder. After a while of walking, Vaughn finally said something.

"How will you take care of your ranch if your shoulder is hurt?" He seemed like he genuinely cared, but I shrugged off the feeling. He just wanted to know. That was all. I thought for a long moment, but as I was about to speak, Vaughn stopped. I noticed we were at the docks. I mentally sighed in relief. It was so good to see the water again. I turned to him again. He was watching me.

"I'm not sure." I told him. "I guess I have to ask Mark to help me out until I feel better."

Vaughn's eyes flashed when I mentioned Mark's name. Did he not like Mark? Or did he just think that wasn't a good idea? I thought it was…Mark wanted to be a rancher anyway, so it would be good practice. I told this to Vaughn.

"Heh… ." He grunted in response.

I looked at my watch. I still had a good hour until the ship would leave. I'd have to wait. Alone. I widened my eyes, the thought scaring me. I shot a glance at Vaughn only to see him staring at me. His cheeks turned pink and he pulled his hat down.

"I guess I'll just wait for the ship with you." He muttered. Then he cleared his throat, looking back at me. "It'd be wrong to leave a girl alone in the city."

I nodded, smirking. We found a place to sit, and did so in a comfortable silence. I watched the waves splash against the dock, and spaced out. Before I knew it, I heard the ship's horn blow, signaling its approaching departure. I jumped up, grimacing at the pain in my back. Vaughn stood with me and turned to look at me.

I smiled at him. "Thanks for everything, Vaughn. I don't know what I would have done or…what might have happened if you hadn't let me stay with you. I owe you one."

He tugged his hat down and grunted. He seemed to do that often. "Yeah, you do."

"See you tomorrow!" I said, giving his arm a squeeze and walking past him. A few moments later I heard him call after me.

"If you need help with your animals while I'm there let me know. I'm sure that moron Mark doesn't know the first thing about them, and I don't want them to be at risk." He said.

I ignored the flutter in my chest as I nodded. "Actually that would be great. Mark is more into harvesting anyway. So if you want you can come help…any time is fine. When ever you're done with your job."

He nodded. "Sure."

"My shoulder shouldn't take too long to feel better anyway." I added, then I waved at him. "See you."

He tipped his hat then swiftly walked away. I boarded the ship, happy to be on it. I was anxious to get home and feed my animals. I'd have to hold off on milking my cows and brushing them today, though.

But tomorrow I'd have Vaughn to help me. I smiled at the thought.

**A/N: I feel like this is an important chapter in this story, and I'm happy with how it turned out. Stay tuned! ****:)**

**Review please :D**


	9. Chapter 9

I managed to sneak my way through town without anyone seeing me. I didn't feel like dealing with Julia and Natalie's questions just yet.

I went straight to my chicken coop when I got to my ranch, desperate to feed my chickens. When I entered, they all seemed to stare at me accusingly. I rushed over to the feed dispenser and put the food in, then I distributed food out. The chickens immediately started eating, but seemed a bit cold towards me. I whispered apologies to them, hoping they would forgive me. I didn't see any eggs around so I left to go to the barn. After doing what I could do there, I went home. I needed to change clothes, and put on warmer ones. Today was the first day of winter, even though there wasn't any snow on the ground yet. But you could tell in the air it was coming.

I put on a heavier coat, seeing it was all I really had to stay warm. I didn't have any longer pants, which was actually stupid of me. I made a mental note to order some soon.

I took some pain medication, hoping to ease the ache in my shoulder. As I was leaving my ranch I glanced at my field. Then I suddenly felt even _more_ stupid. Mark wouldn't need to help me at all! It was winter, so I didn't have any crops! Why didn't I realizes this before? I'd only need help with my animals. Vaughn probably thought I was slow.

I mentally kicked myself, multiple times. Then I sighed. At least I wouldn't have to ask Mark to help me at all. That was the only upside.

I mean, I liked Mark and all, but not in _that_ way. And I was pretty sure he had a thing for me even though we barley talked. Maybe I could get to know him…and just be friends. Mark seemed like a really nice guy.

I shivered a little, then left my ranch. I made my way to see Julia, knowing she would probably be worried about me. I opened the door a bit and peaked inside. I saw Julia sitting at the counter holding a coffee mug. She glanced my way, and did a double take. Then she sprang up and rushed towards me, grabbing me in a hug.

"Where have you _been_!" She cried. I cringed at her grasp. She wasn't helping my back at all. I pushed her away, and she seemed to notice I was in pain. "What? What's wrong?"

"Sorry, I hurt my shoulder last night. It really hurts." I told her through clenched teeth.

She gently pulled me inside and shut the door. Then she glared at me.

"Sorry. But where the heck have you been? I was so worried! When you didn't show up for dinner I went by your house, but you weren't there! And not this morning either!" She jabbed her finger at me, accusingly.

I held up my hands in surrender. "Okay, okay! I'll let you know everything."

And so I did. She listened, growing more amused by the second. By the time I was finished, she had a huge grin on her face.

"_Don't _say anything." I warned. "I don't want to hear anything about Vaughn, and how this could lead to our wedding. You and Natalie are insane."

She smirked. "Okay, alright. I wont say anything, now. But expect Natalie to make a scene. She has been rooting for you two since you met. I, personally, am rooting for Mark. He's so sweet!"

"Too sweet." I muttered. She shot me a glare, but ignored my comment.

"Let's go find Natalie and fill her in. I'm sure she will be delighted!" Julia skipped to the door, throwing it open. I groaned and followed her out.

Julia was right. Natalie _was _delighted to hear my story. She wouldn't shut up about how "sweet" Vaughn was to let me stay with him. And should wouldn't stop implying we did something. I grew tired of arguing with her after a half hour.

"Nothing happened. So stop it." I snapped. She looked taken back, but smirked anyway.

"Okay fine. I believe you." She pretended to inspect her nails, which I knew weren't anything to really inspect. They were short and bitten. She claimed having long nails just wasn't 'her'. "So when are you going to ask him to the Starry Night Festival?"

I choked on the water I'd been drinking, and gaped at her. "Are you crazy? Vaughn doesn't go to those things, and I highly doubt he would go with me if he did! P-plus, why would I ask him?"

"Yeah!" Julia inputted. "She's gonna ask Mark."

I glared at her. "No I'm not. I might not even celebrate that festival."

"Why not?" Natalie whined. "I'm going with Pierre!"

I snorted. "Have fun with that. You'll end up changing his diapers and shaking a rattle at him the whole time."

Julia cracked up, and Natalie gave me a glare that could kill. I just laughed along with Julia.

"Well, Julia wont have fun either," Natalie argued. "Knowing Elliot, he'll end up reading math books to her under the stars."

Julia stopped laughing and shot her a look. "That's not true! He's actually really romantic!"

"What, when he's looking at you over his geeky glasses and says 'being with you is better than receiving all the Chemistry sets in the world…' "

Julia's face flushed deeply and she puffed out her cheeks. "Y-you take that back! He's never said that!"

"Maybe not that, but something similar." Natalie snickered.

They continued to yell insults back and forth until they both ended up laughing so hard, they were crying. I laughed with them, glad the spotlight wasn't on me anymore. After a while of chatting, I announced I was going to the café so eat, since I hadn't all day. They said they wanted to come, but couldn't since they had work to do. I teased them before leaving for the café.

I pushed the door open and found a table right away. It wasn't crowded, since the normal lunch time had passed. I sat and waited for a waiter to approach me. Instead, I noticed Mark coming instead. He sat across from me and smiled.

"I hope you don't mind me joining you?" He asked.

I smiled at him. Maybe this is my chance to make friends with him. Real friends. "Not at all."

**A/N: Yay filler chapters :D This chapter is just full of nothing until the end, so sorry for not, you know, moving forward. Writers block :C**

**Review my fail please :D?**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Sorry it's taken longer than usual to update. I've been really busy cause people keep asking me to go everywhere, and school's right around the corner so I have to mourn and get ready for it, and I got sunburn, and-**

**Oh wait, you don't care. You just want to read the chapter.**

**Here you go! **

Mark and I talked for over an hour while we ate, and he was surprisingly funny and interesting. I could really see us being great friends and I hoped he would _only _want to be friends.

When we were done eating I stood to leave. He must of noticed how I winced because he asked what was wrong.

"Oh, I just hurt my shoulder last night." I said, wishing he hadn't noticed.

"How?" He seemed worried. "Are you okay?"

"I just hit it on the corner of a table…and I'm fine. Don't worry." I told him. I didn't really want him to know about me staying at Vaughn's. I didn't think he'd like that too much.

"Aw man that sucks. Will you be able to do your farm work?"

I froze for a moment, dreading the incoming offer. "Well, I only have my animals to take care of so I'll be fine."

"I could help you out," he said smiling as we exited the café. "Even if it's something small, like brushing them."

"N-no, really, I'll be fine." I said. For some reason I didn't want to tell him Vaughn was already going to help me.

"I can't leave a friend in need." He told me as he veered off towards the hotel. "I might drop by just to check on you!"

I was going to protest, but he was already jogging off, out of ear-shot. I groaned loudly and headed towards home. I hoped he would forget and not show up at all. I decided to just go home and rest for the rest of the day so I could feel better sooner.

The next morning I woke up feeling stiff and sore. I sighed, took more pain medication and got ready for the day. When I was done I left my house, wondering if Vaughn was here already, or if he'd come by later. I decided to do what I could do myself and went to the chicken coop. I fed them and picked up all their eggs, examining the chickens. They seemed to have forgiven me so I was glad for that. As I was placing the last egg inside my rucksack the doors opened. I looked up and saw Vaughn walking towards me. I smiled brightly at him, glad he actually came. I saw the ghost of a smile on his lips.

"Hey, got something for ya." He said once he reached me. I looked at him curiously, wondering what he could possibly give me.

He lead me outside and through my field. We ended up at the stable, which told me he must have had an animal or something for me. I grew excited, but I didn't expect to see what was now standing in front of me.

The dark brown horse neighed softly, bucking it's nose at me. I stared at her, dumbfounded. Vaughn brought me a horse? I reached out towards her, and she happily pushed her nose up against my palm. I grinned and petted it gently.

"She's beautiful." I told Vaughn, still shocked.

"She's seems to like ya." He said, crossing his arms. "What will you name her?"

I studied her closely, and instantly thought of the perfect one.

"Coco." I said, smiling. "The color of her coat reminds me of chocolate."

He smirked. "Alright. She's all yours. Take good care of her."

"I will." I promised. Coco neighed loudly, and trotted away to sniff at some hay.

"You can't ride her until your shoulder is better." He told me, not as cheery anymore.

"Um, I can't ride a horse anyway. I've never learned." I admitted nervously.

He stared at me, then sighed. "Well when ever _I_ have time I could give you some pointers… ."

I smiled at him. "You're the best!"

He blushed slightly, and turned away, starting to leave. "Well, let's get started on your barn."

"Alright, but maybe I should go get some food for Coco… ." I followed him, thinking.

"No need. At least, for right now. I stocked the dispenser enough for a week or so."

I wanted to hug him, to show my happiness, but I knew he wouldn't like that. So I refrained myself and settled with a thank you.

We started on the barn. He milked my cows (I have three now) and fed them, while I spoke to them and brushed them using my good arm. Half-way through, the barn doors suddenly opened, startling me. Vaughn and I turned our heads and saw Mark peaking in. He fully came in and waved at me, eyeing Vaughn.

I stared open-mouthed at him. I had forgotten he said he would 'check' on me. I glanced at Vaughn, only to see him glaring at Mark. I put my brush down and hurried over to him.

"Mark." I said. He raised an eyebrow and smiled at me.

"Hey Chelsea. I'm here to help you but…it seems someone's beat me to it." He glanced behind me at Vaughn. I'm sure Vaughn was still glaring daggers at him. I shifted on my feet nervously.

"Y-yeah, he brought me a horse earlier and stayed to help me. He is the animal trader and all… ."

He looked at me again. "That's true…maybe I can help out tomorrow?"

"V-Vaughn said he would already." I said this to quickly, so I tried to come up with an explanation. "I don't want to suddenly say he cant. You know how he can be."

Mark seemed to except this, but seemed pretty bummed. "Alright, well, maybe we can catch lunch later today?"

I tried not to freak out. Why was I so jittery? It's not like I was caught doing something I shouldn't be, right? "I'd love to, but I'm having lunch with Julia and Natalie today."

"Oh." He seemed disappointed. "Then I'll see you around?"

"Yeah, totally. We can hang out another day. I promise." I said, trying to cheer him up. "Sorry."

"No, no it's fine." He regained his smile and started out the door. "See you!"

I slowly walked back over to where Vaughn was. I resumed brushing Baby, my new calf, as if nothing happened. I could feel his eyes on me.

"What did _he_ want?" He asked with a growl.

I sighed and turned to him. "He just wanted to make sure I didn't need any help with my animals. What do you have against him anyway?"

He grunted and finished milking the cow. "Nothing. He just annoys me."

He stood, taking the two jugs of milk, and left without another word. I sighed again, dropping the brush in my rucksack, and followed him.

I managed to catch up with him when he was putting the milk in the shipping bin.

"V-Vaughn." I said breathlessly. Why did my field have to be so big? "Thanks for helping me today. Will you tomorrow?"

He narrowed his eyes at me and scoffed. "Why don't you get Mark to help you? He seemed like he really wanted to."

"Because I want _you_ to!" I blurted out. Then after realizing what I said, I stumbled over my words. "I-I mean, well, y-you're better with animals and I want to make sure they're taken care of like I would…take care of them…and… ." I trailed off, not even knowing what I was saying now. My face was burning.

I finally looked at Vaughn to see how he was reacting. He stood there with a slight smirk on his face. He tipped his hat at me and started walking away. He lifted his hand, without turning around.

"I'll be here at the same time." He told me and left the ranch.

I sighed heavily, trying to figure out what just happened. Why had I said that? I sat on the edge of the shipping bin and thought for a while.

Soon, the unthinkable truth was clear to me.

I liked Vaughn.

Stupid Julia and Natalie… .

**A/N: This chapter wasn't nearly as great as I wanted it to be :I Oh well.**

**Ohhh, Chelsea, you and your slowness when it comes to boys. Didn't you know you liked him since the moment you saw him? Clearly not.**

**Anyway, I love every single one of your reviews! I want to know how I'm doing so far, so let me know? Like, how clear my writing is and if the characters are in character. If I could make it better and how? I'd really appreciate it! :)  
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**Special thanks to PlatinumMew for the awesome ideas and help! **

**Please Review :D **


	11. Chapter 11

The next day I woke up feeling a little better than before. I could move more with less pain.

I lead Coco outside so she could get used to the area. It was warm today, for winter, so I thought it would be alright. I was stroking her side when I heard yelling. I turned, looking towards the entrance of my ranch but saw nothing. I looked around, wondering if someone was hurt. Suddenly the voice became clearer, and directed at me.

"Chelsea! Watch out!" I heard a loud voice yell. It sounded like Gannon. I looked at the entrance again.

And I saw a bull charging towards me. Wait, a bull? What's a _bull_ doing on the island? Coco dashed away, leaving me. I backed up and started to run, panicking. Where could I go? I didn't want to go where my animals were, they could be hurt. I glanced behind me to see the bull was still coming at me.

Was it bulls that were attracted to red?

I ripped off my bandana in hope he'd stop, but he still charged. I made an abrupt left, intending to turn around and lead him away from my animals.

"Chelsea!" Gannon yelled again, seeming to panic.

I looked behind me and saw it was gaining on me. I pumped my legs faster towards the entrance. I needed to get out of its sight. But how? I glanced behind me again, but suddenly lost my footing and tripped. I scrambled to get up, but by the time I was standing again the bull was less than five feet away.

Then it felt like a truck hit me.

But…from the wrong side. I was on the ground again and my vision was spotted with black dots. I felt a weight on half my body, then heard a relieved sigh.

I looked, and saw _Vaughn_ over me. Had he got me out of the way? He pushed himself up, glancing at me once, and stood up. I struggled to sit up, holding my head. I glanced around for the bull, and spotted it in the middle of my field. Suddenly huge hands were on me, lifting me up.

"I'm so sorry miss." Gannon said after settling me on my feet. My head swam and I stumbled a bit. "It's my fault. I-"

He stopped when he saw Vaughn ride by on my horse. I watched him, gaping. He pulled a rope from his belt and charged towards the bull. After some chasing he managed to get it around the bull's neck and calm it down. A minute later he was leading the bull over to us.

"He yours?" Vaughn asked Gannon. He nodded, and Vaughn handed him the rope. "Why was he loose?"

"Something fell and started 'em. He got free and started runnin'."

"He could have killed Chelsea." Vaughn yelled, seeming upset.

Gannon nodded solemnly. "Yeah, I know. I'm very sorry miss."

"I-it's fine." I told him. "You didn't mean for it to happen…and I wasn't hurt."

Vaughn scoffed.

I ignored him. "Don't worry about it, Gannon."

He gave me a big smile, which seemed strange on his face. "Let me know if you need anything, I'll be happy to give it to you."

He lead the bull away and off the ranch. I forgot to ask what he needed the bull for in the first place. I looked at Vaughn, feeling a smirk tug on my lips.

He glared back at me.

"Nice work, cowboy." I told him. "You really know how to handle animals."

Vaughn rolled his eyes, something I've never seen him do before. "Are you alright? That was a hard fall."

"Yeah it was. I'm fine though." I reached up to feel my head, and realized my bandana was missing. Then I remembered dropping it. I scanned the field for it, but didn't see it.

Vaughn held something out to me. I looked, and saw my bandana…except it was dirty and ripped. Horrified, I took it from him. "The bull had stepped on it." Vaughn told me. "It got messed up, as you can see."

"This was my only one… ." I said mostly to myself, feeling slightly depressed.

Vaughn stood there for a moment, then cleared his throat. "Sorry."

I looked at him, surprised. "Not your fault. Oh, and thanks for saving me… ."

Coco trotted away from Vaughn's side to somewhere behind me. Vaughn pulled his hat down a little and nodded. I was about to say something else when something nudged me, hard, from behind me. I stumbled forwards and ran into Vaughn. He caught me, hesitated, then shoved me away gently. I balanced myself and turned to see Coco. She neighed loudly, as if she were proud.

I looked at Vaughn again, feeling myself blushing. "S-sorry."

He was blushing too, but hid it. He started leaving. "It's fine. See you later."

I remembered he was leaving tonight. "V-Vaughn!"

He turned to look at me.

"Um, can I buy you dinner tonight? You've done so much for me the last few days. I want to repay you"

It was silent for a moment, and I regretted asking. He would never want to have dinner with me, what was I thinking? I opened my mouth to apologize.

"Sure." Vaughn said before I said anything. "You do owe me one."

Then he left, leaving me shocked. I stared after him, wondering if I heard him right. He said yes. Did this mean he… .

No, he just wanted a free meal. That was all. I sighed, and turned to Coco. I glared at her.

"Why you little… ." I grumbled. I lead her inside the stable. "Just for that, you're not allowed outside until the season's over."

I left the stable and looked up to the sky. It was getting colder and cloudy. Maybe it was going to snow. I stuffed my ruined bandana in my pocket. Looks like no more bandana's for me. Unless I went back to the city to find one. But I didn't like that idea too much.

Later that day I was heading in the animal shop, hoping to find Vaughn. I'd realized that he never said a time and I needed to know. I didn't see him, but I saw Julia and Natalie sitting at the counter. They waved me over.

"Hey stranger." Julia said to me when I got there.

"Yeah, where have you been? You hardly see us anymore."

"Yeah I do." I argued. "I've just been resting. With my shoulder and all."

"Oh hey, are you alright? I heard about the bull." Julia asked.

"Yeah I'm fine."

"I heard Vaughn saved you!" Natalie said, snickering.

"Well, yeah. He did." I said slowly. "But anyone would have."

"Mhmmm… ."Natalie smirked.

"It's true." I sighed. "Do you know where he is?"

"Why?" Natalie and Julia said together.

"I need to know…something."

"Something like what?" Julia asked.

"Like where he is. Now tell me."

They glanced at each other, both smirking. Then Julia said, "He should be at the beach or something."

"Thanks." I said, turning to leave.

"Are you asking him to the Starry Night festival?" Natalie called after me.

"Natalie, she's going with Mark. I told you." Julia said.

I ignored both of them. Right now, the festival was the last thing on my mind. I actually planned on not even celebrating it. Vaughn wouldn't ever go with me, and I didn't want to go with Mark. And I hoped he wouldn't ask me.

I headed towards the beach, and found him there, sanding at the shore. The beach usually had more people on it, but being winter it was the last place people wanted to be. But Vaughn was strange.

I walked up to him and stood next to him. He glanced at me. I shifted my feet and took a deep breath.

"I need to know what time to meet you at the diner… ." I told him quietly.

He didn't answer right away. Then he turned towards me saying, "I'll meet you at your house. Cause I don't know what time I'll want to eat. It's different every night."

I glanced at my watch. It was about five now. I nodded. "Okay."

I gave him a smile and started walking away. My heart was racing. It was kinda like a date, except I was paying. He was basically picking me up at my house. And we'd go to dinner. I grinned to myself.

But then I frowned. It wasn't a date. What was I thinking? We were just friends, I think, and he just wanted to stay that way.

Sometimes I think I'm crazy.

**A/N: Wow this chapter was difficult to write. It took me two nights. I can usually finish one in one night, gosh. Oh well. I'm excited to start the next chapter. Hello drama :D and rivalry. I know how you guys love that.**

**Please Review :] **


	12. Chapter 12

I was sitting at my table, tapping my fingers. I didn't know exactly what time Vaughn was going to be here so I decided to stay at home once I was done with everything around town.

I started waiting at six.

And here I am, still waiting at eight.

I began to think he wasn't coming. He could have lied to me. I sighed sadly, and stood from the table. My stomach growled. I glanced at my small kitchen, wondering what to make for myself. As I was grabbing a Hot Pocket from my freezer I heard a short knock on my door.

I gasped to myself, surprised. Was that Vaughn? He really came? I went over to the door and opened it, and sure enough he was standing there. He opened his mouth to say something but stopped, glancing at my hand, then frowned.

"Change your mind?"

I looked down at the Hot Pocket, and shook my head wildly. "N-no! I was just beginning to think you weren't coming."

"I said I would, didn't I?"

"Well yeah-"

"So you should trust my word." He seemed disappointed in me.

"I do." I said, but saw the look on his face. "Now."

I rushed to put the food away and grabbed my jacket. He eyed it, narrowing his eyes.

"That's not nearly warm enough." He commented.

"I guess not. My bandana used to keep my head kinda warm though." I said, down casting my eyes.

He grunted and stepped away from my doorway so I could lock my door. Once I did we started walking to the diner. It was dark out, and hardly anyone was outside. I kept glancing at Vaughn, but he kept his eyes straight ahead and his face blank. I wondered what he was thinking. The silence was getting to me so I spoke up.

"Do you always eat this late?" I asked.

He glanced at me, then away. "No. I was just busy before. Sorry if you waited long."

My stomach had butterflies. This was just like a date, but it wasn't. I had to keep reminding myself Vaughn wasn't interested in that. Or me. I looked around, noting we were almost there. We were passing Sabrina's mansion now. I noticed a figure in the window upstairs, but couldn't tell who it was. I guessed it would be Sabrina, since she hardly left. She stood there and I felt as if she were staring at us. Once we were a little ways past her house, she disappeared and the light shut off.

Sabrina had always been quiet, and seemed uninterested in making friends with me or the other girls. When I first came to this island I introduced myself to her, but she was immensely shy, unlike everyone else. Once all the girls on the island had a get-together, but she didn't come. She politely declined our offer, choosing to stay at home instead. What could she possibly do up in her room all day that was so entertaining? I'd get so bored.

I was so busy thinking I didn't realize we had arrived at the diner. Vaughn raised an eyebrow at me, but I went past him into the building, blushing. We chose a table in the back corner and sat, him across from me. He picked up the menu and held it up, covering his face. I did the same, but didn't really look at it. Suddenly I didn't feel hungry anymore. I decided to eat light, like a salad or something. I must of zoned out because the next thing I knew the waiter was clearing his throat.

I looked up at him, a bit startled.

"What will you be having tonight?' He asked us.

"Just a salad. And water." I said, forcing myself not to look at Vaughn.

"Porridge." Vaughn said gruffly. "And water."

The waiter nodded, took our menus, and left. I folded my hands in front of me to keep myself from tapping the table. Vaughn gave me a quizzical look.

"You on a diet or something?" He asked.

"No, I'm just not feeling hungry." I gave him a look too. "And porridge? Really?"

"Yeah," He narrowed his eyes at me. "Problem?"

"No, no." I chuckled. "I've actually never had it before."

"You haven't?" He shifted his hat on his head. "You're missin' out then."

"Eh, I don't think so. It seems kinda bland anyway."

He grunted, leaning back and crossing his arms. He stared me down. I shifted in my seat, glaring back at him. He suddenly smirked, shaking his head.

"It's actually good. I grew up with it."

"Is it your favorite?" I asked. He nodded. "My favorite food is gummy bears."

He stared at me for a long moment, looking shocked. "That isn't _food_."

"It is to me." I replied. Then I smirked. "I grew up with it."

He attempted to glare, but chuckled instead. My insides knotted together. I was making him laugh, well chuckle, but close enough. He wasn't acting mean was the point. I gave him a big smile. I wish I could make him smile.

Our food suddenly arrived, causing Vaughn to return to his normal self. Once the waiter left he scooped up some of the plain looking porridge with his spoon and held it out to me. I stared at it, confused. Then shook my head, feeling my cheeks heat up.

"No, I'd rather not." I told him.

"Give it a chance." He said.

I sighed and took the spoon. I gave him one more look before sticking the spoon in my mouth. I tasted it for a long moment.

"Well?" He asked.

"It's...good. Surprisingly, it has a taste. Granted, it is a bit bland, but at the same time it's kinda sweet."

He seems satisfied. I started to return his spoon, but stopped at the last minute. I grabbed my spoon and handed it to him, since it was clean. He paused, but didn't say anything as he took it and began to eat. I picked up my fork and ate too.

There was a comfortable silence between us for a while as we ate. I was taking a sip of water when I noticed someone entering the diner. I almost spit it out when I saw who it was.

Sabrina.

What was she doing here? I've never seen her here. She always ate at home.

She looked at our table right away, and stared too long for it to be a glance. She locked eyes with me, and I swear I saw he lip curl up into a scowl. She quickly turned and sat at a table near the door. She pretended to look at the menu, but I knew she was looking at us instead.

"What?" Vaughn said, getting my attention. He turned to look where I was looking, confused.

"S-sorry, I'm just surprised to see her here." I said, looking away from her. I still felt her gaze on me.

He slowly turned back to look at me. I noticed his gaze linger on her. My stomach knotted, and not in the good way. Dear God, was I _jealous_? I was insane.

"She was staring at me. Weird." He said.

I mentally sighed. So that's why he was looking at her so long. "Yeah, she's a bit strange… ."

Vaughn shrugged it off and continued to eat. I didn't feel like eating anymore so I pushed my plate away and replaced it with my elbows. I leaned my chin on my hands and waited for him to finish. Vaughn glanced up at me, than at my plate.

"You're finished?" He asked. I looked at my mostly empty plate and nodded. He shook his head. "You don't eat right, do you?"

"I do too." I protested. "I'm just full."

"A salad cant fill you up enough."

"Well it did."

He scoffed and finished off the rest of his food. He gulped down his remaining water and leaned back in his seat. We made eye contact for a long moment before he broke it off.

"So," I said pulling out my money. "How much was your porridge?"

"No need." He told me, taking out his own money.

"Wait a minute!" I said. "I'm suppose to pay! I owe you."

He grunted. "Yeah, but I know you're low on money this month. The ship to the city can be expensive, and there aren't any crops in the winter. You must be tight on money."

I stared at him, shocked. "Yeah, that's all true. But if you knew this why did you agree to me paying?"

He coughed, then stood up. "I'd forgotten. I guess you can pay me back some other way."

"Like how?" I said, following his lead.

"I'll have to think on it." He put down his money on the table. I noticed he had paid for me too.

"Hey," I started, but he stopped me by holding up his gloved hand.

"Consider it a favor." He said.

"Well you've done a lot of them for me now." I pouted. "Am I that needy?"

He chuckled as we started to leave, not answering my question. As we headed towards the door, I noticed Sabrina stand up too. I'd forgotten she was here. She started walking towards us. Vaughn stopped when she was in front of him, staring down at her. I stood at Vaughn's side.

"H-hello." She said meekly. Vaughn just stared at her, seeming confused. She seemed to realized she'd have to say more than that. "I-I just remembered that my father asked me to give out invitations to a tea party."

We stared at her some more. Then Vaughn said, "I don't see any invitations."

Her eyed widened and she blushed. "O-oh, I must have forgotten them at home. Maybe you could stop by and pick it up… ."

I noticed she seemed to be only speaking to Vaughn. I wondered if only certain people were invited to it, but I also wondered if she were lying. It was hard to tell, since she always seemed nervous and shy.

"Another time." Vaughn said gruffly. "I'm busy."

He walked past her and to the door. I started to follow, but saw Sabrina glare at me. I paused, not knowing she _could_ glare. I realized suddenly that she liked Vaughn. It was pretty obvious. And she must have been jealous of _me_ since I just had dinner with him. I repressed a laugh and met Vaughn at the door. He noticed my amused expression, but didn't comment on it.

Sabrina was jealous of me. _Me. _Well, she had nothing to be jealous of really. I was just paying him back, or trying to. But she didn't know that. Vaughn and I walked in silence for a minute before I decided to investigate something.

"Why didn't you go get your invitation?" I forced myself not to say the last word mockingly.

"Like I said, I'm busy." He said.

"How?"

He glanced at me. "Well, I'm taking you home."

I blushed but hid it by looking away. "So? You still could have. I wouldn't have minded."

"I brought you here, so I take you back. Plus, it can be dangerous at night." He said roughly.

I shrugged, not looking at him. My face was burning. I bit my bottom lip so I wouldn't say something stupid and we walked in silence until we entered my ranch. I turned to him and smiled.

"Thanks." I told him. "I wish I could have paid you back tonight."

He gave a small shrug and tugged his hat down to cover most of his face. "S'okay. I actually had a good time… ."

I raised my eyebrows, but he didn't see me. "I did too."

He looked up at me. "Well, see you next week."

"Yeah, think about what I can do for you while you're gone." I told him.

"You owe me twice as much as you did before now." He said.

I laughed, even though my laugh is embarrassing. I hated it. I swear I sounded more country then I looked when I laughed. Sometimes I even snorted. Vaughn raised an eyebrow at me, but then gave me a small smile

Whoa, wait. He smiled? Did my eyes deceive me?

Before I could say anything he turned away and started to leave.

"Later, Chelsea."

I stared after him in shock. I made him smile. Well, my laugh did, but still. I happily went into my house, feeling great. I looked at my watch and gasped at the time. It was after ten. It barley felt like half and hour.

I sighed and got ready for bed. I snuggled into my bed, hugging a pillow to me, and slowly drifted off to sleep.

**A/N: This is the longest chapter yet! I love this chapter, I think it's my best. Even though I'm worried Vaughn is OOC? Let me know if he is. **

**And finally, Sabrina comes into the plot. Dun dun dunnnn. This should be interesting. And I think next chapter will be the hardest to write out of all of them so far. You'll see why ;) **

**On a side note, one of my friends who just started reading this told me I should make it never ending. I'm not too keen on the idea haha. That's impossible. But she's helped me with a lot of ideas lately, so thank you!**

**BTW does anyone else see Sabrina as a stalker? A creepy one? Or am I alone?  
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**Thanks for the reviews :D I love them. Please review!**

**(sorry this A/N was long.) **


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: I'm sorry for the late update. I've been really busy trying to get in as much fun as I can until school, which is in a little more than a week. Please forgive the delay and keep reading!**

**Vaughn's POV**

I stood staring through the glass window of a shop. I'd been walking, on my way home, when something caught my eye.

A red bandana.

I started to think about Chelsea, and how she needed a new one, but then I scowled to myself. Why was I here thinking about _her_? She is annoying, clumsy, forgetful and clueless. She's too nice for her own good. She's too persistent. She acted too cheerful. I just couldn't stand her.

But on the other hand… . She is an excellent rancher, and loved animals. She did help the town progress. She liked to help people. She cute… .

I turned away from the window, grunting. Why did I think that? I guess it was true, kinda, but it shouldn't matter to me. We were just friends, if that. I've talked to her more in the last few weeks than ever before. I mean, she'd tried to make friends with me when she first met me, but I'd brushed her off and made it clear I wanted her to stay away.

But she hadn't.

She just kept talking to me, even though I glared in return. Granted, she was shy when she spoke to me, but she still did. Everyone else I know, other than Julia and Mirabelle, stayed clear of me. Because I wanted them too. But Chelsea was different. She didn't give up, and now look at me. She barley crossed my mind before, but I've come to realize she's in it more than she should be.

It got on my nerves.

I've never gave a second thought about girls. They would try to talk or flirt with me, but I always ignored them. Now everyone in town knew not to bother me. I liked it that way. So why was Chelsea so different?

She made me feel like I've never felt before. I didn't like that. I didn't know how to handle it. I wanted to just tell her to buzz off for good, but I couldn't bring myself to do it.

I couldn't believe how I've been lately, helping her so much. She just kept getting into trouble or hurt, and I just kept getting involved. I knew I shouldn't, but something in me just told me to. I hated this.

I growled, looking at the window again.

Did I really want to do something for her again? Was I really going to get myself deeper into this hole I've been digging? I knew she wouldn't come to the city unless she absolutely had to, though her reasons were unclear to me. She would just owe me more than she already did. If she repaid me would she stop talking to me? Would it go back to the way it was before? I considered this, thinking how this benefited me. But did I _want_ her to leave me alone? I didn't know the answer.

I sighed. This was too much for me. I had no idea how I felt about Chelsea. Why couldn't I just dislike her, like I did everyone else?

I glanced at the bandana again. I noticed a few people giving me odd looks. I realized I must have been standing here for quite a while.

I couldn't believe myself as I walked into the shop. I was just making things worse for myself if I did this. But yet, I found myself grabbing the bandana from its stand.

God, what was wrong with me? Did I really enjoy making things difficult for myself?

More importantly, did I really enjoy Chelsea's company?

As I bought the bandana I realized I didn't dislike her as I should, but rather I actually wanted to be around her and found myself looking forward to doing so. I cant say I like her, because I don't.

I think.

But I guess she wasn't as annoying as I thought.

**A/N: Sorry this chapter is so short, and if Vaughn is OOC (which I believe he is). I've never written in a guys POV before, and if that weren't hard enough it had to be Vaughn's. I didn't want to write it like this, but I felt like I should include how Vaughn feels towards Chelsea, since she doesn't know anything.**

**Ahh, I almost want to stop this story lol. I've never written anything that was purely romance before. But I guess this is good practice, since I do want to be an author and all…**

**Oh well, I'll just have to suck it up. Hope this chapter wasn't too bad and discouraged you to continue reading. Because that would make me sad : ( **

**Please review! : )**


	14. Chapter 14

Julia was looking at me expectantly. I looked back at her, confused. Eventually she sighed loudly, slumping back in her chair.

"What?" I asked.

"Why are you so calm?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Don't you know what tomorrow is?" I just stared at her, as confused as ever. Her eyes widened. "Oh my gosh, you don't. Chelsea, tomorrow is Winter Thanksgiving!"

It took me a moment to realize what she said. Then it clicked. "Crap."

I jumped out of my chair. "I completely forgot."

"I didn't." She said, standing. "I've been trying to bake chocolate cookies for the last few days!"

"I need the stuff to make them, do you think Chen would have them?"

"He's probably sold out, but I have tons of supplies. I bought a lot because I knew I'd mess up."

I sighed in relief. "Okay. How much do you think I would need? Enough for all the guys… ."

"Chelsea!" Julia cried.

I looked at her, alarmed. "What?"

"You cant give every guy the same kind of chocolate. Your guy _friends_ get just chocolate, but your _special _guy friend gets special chocolate. Get what I'm saying?"

"W-what? Julia, I'm just friends with all the guys on the island." I told her quickly.

"What about Mark?" Julia asked. "Or dare I say it, _Vaughn_?"

I felt myself blush a little. "I'm just friends with them too, you know."

She started to object, but I cut her off. "Just show me where the things are so I can hurry and make them."

"Fine, fine." She smirked and lead me to the kitchen. She piled various things into a basket and handed it to me.

"Thanks." I said, going for the door.

"You're not baking them here?" She asked.

"Nah, I'll go home. I have some things there I can use."

"Okay see you later. And remember what I said!"

I shut the door with my foot and started walking home. I was going to just make chocolate cookies for everyone. Plus, even if I did want to make special ones for someone I don't even know what I would make. I made it home and set the basket on the counter, sighing. It was early in the afternoon, so did I really need to start the cookies now? I decided to just get it over with and began baking.

Later that day I ended up back at the animal shop, bored out of my mind. In the back of my mind I knew Vaughn was on the island somewhere, but I didn't want to bother him if he was busy. I hadn't seen him at all yet.

Julia excused herself and left to go see Elliot or something. She told me to wait for her here, since it would only be a minute. I sat at the table, absentmindedly tracing outlines on the table. The bell rang and I assumed it was Julia, returning from whatever. But much to my surprise, it wasn't Julia who sat across from me, it was Vaughn. I stared at him for a moment. He stared back at me silently, and shifted his hat.

"Hey Vaughn." I finally said. "I haven't seen you today."

"I've been busy. And I was looking for you."

"Why?" I asked, confused.

He took something from his pocket. "I found this in the city last week." Then he held something red out to me. I took me a second to recognize it as a bandana.

I stared open-mouthed at it, completely blown away. A million thoughts raced through my head at one moment, successfully causing a slight headache. He went and got me a bandana? Why would he do that? I mean, I didn't ask for him to, or say anything about getting another. This was really unexpected.

"Are you gonna take it or just stare at it like some idiot?" He growled.

I quickly took it from him trying to swallow back sudden tears. They stung my eyes, causing me to blink several times. A few escaped, sliding down my face.

Vaughn became alarmed. "What? What's wrong?"

I shook my head, standing. Why in the world was I crying? I guess I was just really shocked and happy. Vaughn came around the table to face me. He looked worried.

"S-sorry." I finally choked. "I'm fine. I'm just…happy. Thank you… ."

I grabbed him into a hug, trying to express my gratitude. I expected him to push me away, but he actually embraced me back after a moment. That shock caused me to stop sniffling, and my heart to speed up a little. I couldn't believe he was hugging me back. All too soon, he gently pushed me away and held me at arms length. I gave him a huge smile and he blushed slightly, smiling softly in return. He dropped his arms and began to say something when the door suddenly burst open, startling us both. I turned to see Julia with Natalie behind her. Natalie's jaw fell open and her eyes grew dark.

She stormed up to us with Julia in tow. Then she pushed her way in between Vaughn and I, glaring at him. I was immensely confused by now.

"_Why is she crying?_" She snarled up at Vaughn. "What did you do?"

Vaughn's eyes widened and he backed up a bit. "Nothing."

"You-"

"Natalie!" I said, stopping her. "He didn't do anything. I'm fine."

She looked at me. "Then why were you crying?"

"Vaughn, uh…did a huge favor for me and I was just really happy. That's all." I told her.

She immediately softened and grinned at Vaughn. "Aww-"

"Shut up." He grumbled. He walked around us and started to leave. "Uh, see you later Chelsea."

After he left, Natalie turned to me, looking way too excited. "Oh my God!"

Julia sighed. "Does this mean Mark is out of the question?"

"What?" I exclaimed.

"I told you!" Natalie said to Julia, shoving a finger at her laughing. "Where's the money?"

"Hey, it's not over yet." She crossed her arms.

"What are you talking about?" I said loudly.

"Nothing." They both said.

I glared at them, but decided to leave it alone. It wasn't worth it. I said goodbye and rushed home. As soon as I got there, I ransacked my kitchen, trying to find something to make cookies with. I made up my mind. I was going to make special cookies for Vaughn and give them to him. He deserved them, with all he has done for me. And maybe it'll let him know that I…have feelings for him.

I found some mint and smiled. Bing-go. I hope he liked mint chocolate chip cookies.

**A/N: Short chapter is short :( But I'm planning for the next chapter to be longer. A lots gonna go down in that one lol. **

**But this chapter isn't much actually. It could have been way better. To me, it's a bunch of random events. I dunno. The one thing I like is the bandana thing. Even though everyone saw that coming from chapter 12 lol. **

**Review review please :)**


	15. Chapter 15

I mentally checked off all the guys I'd given chocolate to so far. Denny, Pierre, Elliot, and Shea (though he was confused, but thankful). So that left Mark and Vaughn. I was saving Vaughn for last so I started to walk in the direction of the Inn. As I was approaching Sabrina's house I stopped short when I noticed her and Vaughn ahead. She handed him a red box with a bow on it, smiling shyly.

I clenched my jaw. I didn't expect anyone else to give him anything, but now I know I should have known she would. I couldn't see Vaughn's face since his back was turned to me. I pictured him blushing and smiling at her as he took them, and that image just made me upset.

Sabrina noticed me then, and shot me a smug look. Vaughn turned around and seemed a little surprised to see me. I shifted my rucksack and continued to walk right past them. I was suddenly angry, though I figured it was due to jealously. I tried to let it go.

Vaughn jogged up to walk next to me. I noticed his hands were empty and looked back to see Sabrina sanding there with her mouth slightly open, holding the red box. She stomped her foot and turned to go inside her house.

"Something wrong?" Vaughn asked.

I looked at him. "No. Why would there be?"

"You seemed angry."

"Why didn't you accept her chocolate?" I asked, suddenly worried. What if he didn't accept mine either? Maybe he didn't celebrate this holiday.

"I didn't like what she gave me. Too fancy. So I said I was allergic and gave it back." He shrugged.

"Oh." I mentally sighed.

He continued to walk next to me in silence. As we neared the Inn he grunted.

"Why are you coming here?" He asked.

"To give Mark chocolate." I said simply.

I didn't see his face but I heard his snarl. "Whatever."

Then he made a left and walked away from me. I stopped, looking after him. What was his problem? I knew he didn't like Mark, but still. I shrugged it off and entered the Inn.

Mark answered the door, and smiled brightly when he saw me.

"Hey, Chelsea!" He let me inside.

"Hey, Mark." I replied.

"What brings you here?"

I gave him a smile and took off my rucksack to retrieve his bag of chocolate cookies. I handed it off to him and he took it graciously.

"Wow, thanks! I haven't gotten any yet, so this makes me happy." He grinned, and a little color rushed to his face. He took a cookie and bit into it. "These are great!"

"Thanks." I said. "They were pretty simple to make."

"I can't bake for anything." He told me.

"Just like Julia." I chuckled.

"I'll have to make something better to repay you in spring."

"It's alright. They don't have to be perfect."

He nodded, eating another cookie. "Are you excited for the Starry Night festival?"

I paused. "When is it?"

"In about two weeks."

"Then no." I said. "It's not close enough yet. And I'm not even really excited for it anyway. I've never celebrated it before."

He looked disappointed. "It's really fun. Maybe I can-"

I looked at my watch, "Crap, Mark. I gotta go. I still have to give someone chocolate."

He nodded slowly. "Alright, see you later Chelsea."

"Later."

I left hurriedly. I felt bad for cutting him off like that, but I didn't want him to ask me to go. Well, maybe later…but not now. It was still pretty far away.

As I walked outside I wondered where Vaughn could have gone. I decided to check the animal shop first. While I was walking it started to snow. I smiled happily. Finally it was snowing. It hadn't all season.

Soon I reached the shop. When I entered I didn't see Vaughn anywhere, but I did see Julia. She excitedly bounced over to me.

"It's snowing!" She exclaimed.

"I saw."

"I hope it snows a lot." She told me. "Than me and Elliot can snuggle together by the fireplace and-"

"You don't have a fireplace." I informed her, laughing. "Plus, Elliot would have a panic attack if you two snuggled."

"Mood killer." She mumbled.

"Did he like your chocolate?" I asked.

She perked up. "Oh yeah he did! I finally gave up on making them myself and had mom help me. They turned out great, and he loved them. You should have seen his face. It was so red."

I laughed and started to leave. "Okay, well I'll see you at dinner."

"Wha-You just got here!" She pouted.

"I was looking for Vaughn. I have to give him chocolate." I told her. "it's only fair since I gave everyone else some."

"Mhm." She said, smirking.

I ignored her and left. I headed towards the beach next but he wasn't there either. I sighed in annoyance. That left the forest, and the forest was easy to get lost in. I know this because I have before. Luckily the Witch Princess helped me find my way back. She was nice, even though she was a little strange.

I sucked it up and entered the forest. I've seen Vaughn here once before on my way to the mountain top. Julia said he liked to hang out there because of the animals and quiet. I liked the forest too, but I just didn't like being lost.

I made my way to the spot I saw him before. Sure enough he was there, leaning back on a rock with his arms behind his head. His hat was over his face so I couldn't tell if he was sleeping or not. I quietly walked over and looked down at him. Then I snatched the hat away. His eyes shot open to glare at me.

"Hey sleepy head." I said, sitting next to him.

He grunted, and grabbed his hat back. "What do you want?"

I took my rucksack off and took out the box of cookies. I put his in a box and everyone else's in bags so I could tell them apart. "You ran off before I could give you yours."

I held them out to him, but he didn't take them right away. He just stared at them. I waited silently, panic rising. What if he didn't take them? I'd feel so stupid.

Finally he took them and opened it up. He raised an eyebrow a moment later. "Mint?"

I could smell it too. It was pretty strong. "Is that okay? Do you like mint?"

He took a cookie and bit into it. Then said, "Yeah."

I sighed in relief and smiled at him. He blushed slightly, setting the box next to him.

"Good."

"Why did I get mint chocolate cookies and Elliot got plain chocolate chip ones?" He inquired.

I froze. "How do you know he got plain ones?"

"Julia."

Of course. "Well. You've done a lot for me so I figured you should get different cookies."

He stared at me as if he knew I were lying. Then he shrugged. "You still owe me."

"I know, I know." I laughed. "Have you decided what you want?"

"Haven't thought bout it." He told me.

"Well let me know when you decide."

"Mhm."

We sat in silence for a moment. I watched as the snow fell and slowly made a thin layer on the ground.

"So why are you still here?" He asked me.

"Well," I thought for a moment. "I've got nothing to do. And it's kinda peaceful here. I like it."

He didn't reply and we fell back into silence. I wanted to talk, but I didn't know what to say. Finally I thought of something.

"Hey, let's play twenty questions."

"I don't know what that is, but I don't like the sound of it." He grunted.

"Oh come on, it's easy." I begged.

"No."

"It's fun."

"No."

"What else have we got to do?"

"Fine." He muttered. "How exactly do you play?"

"I ask you a question, and you answer truthfully, then you ask me one. And the process continues."

"I'll go first. Why do you want to play this stupid game?"

I acted offended. "Because I'm bored, and I want to get to know you. We are friends after all."

"…Mhm."

"Do you not want to get to know each other?" I asked quietly.

He looked uncomfortable. "I usually don't make friends easy."

"Why not?"

"That's two questions in a row." He scolded.

"The first one didn't count."

"Yes it did. It was a question right?"

"Well, yeah."

"So my turn." He said. "Why _do_ you want to get to know me?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"You can't answer a question with a question." He huffed.

"How would you know? You don't even know this game." I replied.

"I know logic. And logic applies here."

"Fine." I pouted. "Because I know you're secretly a good person."

"How would you know?"

"I can tell."

"Mhm… ." He eyed me. "Okay so why-"

"No it's my turn." I smirked. "That counted as a question."

"This game's stupid." He growled.

"Why are you usually anti-social?" I asked.

He glared at me. "Because people are annoying."

"That can't be all." I said, ignoring the fact he directed that comment at me.

"Why are you usually so cheery?" He asked.

"I try to stay positive." I paused, and decided to be completely honest. "Because if I'm not, I might get, like, really sad. Plus, it's how I was raised."

He raised an eyebrow at me.

"What are your parents like?" I asked.

He narrowed his eyes and looked away. "I never knew them."

"What?" I instantly felt bad. "Did they…?"

"No." He grunted. "Well, my mom did."

"Then how did you not know your father?"

"Once my mom died he buried himself in work. I hardly saw him or spoke to him, and when I did it was about business. So-" He stopped in mid-sentence. "Why in the world am I telling you this?"

He seemed angry, but not at me. Just in general. I waited for him to say something.

"And you cheated." He finally muttered. "One question at a time."

"Sorry." I said.

He was silent for a moment. "Why are you afraid of the city?"

I felt myself pale. "Um… ."

He waited for me to say more. I took a deep breath. I made him tell me personal things, so I have to too. "Well, I lived away from the city with my parents. We hardly went there because we knew it could be kinda dangerous. So, um, one day I had to get some things and went by myself. It started to get late and I noticed this guy following me around. He cornered me and, um, well harassed me." I glanced at him to see if he knew what I meant. He nodded slowly. "Well, I escaped by kicking his shin and running. After that I decided to move away. And now I'm here."

He didn't say anything for a while. I sighed and shivered a bit. The snow was coming down harder now, and sticking pretty well. I brushed some off my pants and head. After a moment I realized it was my turn to ask a question, but I had a hard time thinking of one.

"It's getting colder." Vaughn said, brushing off snow and standing up. He turned and held out a hand to help me up. I took it and he easily hauled me onto my feet. I brushed off some extra snow.

"I'm glad it's finally snowing." I said.

"I don't like snow." Vaughn grunted.

I gasped. "Why not?"

"It's too bright and cold. And annoying. And profit falls in the winter."

"But it's fun and pretty. I love building snowmen, and having snowball fights. I haven't since I was little though… ."

"I never did any of that."

I bit the inside of my cheek and looked at the ground. The snow was quickly piling up. I stopped and bent down to gather some snow into a small snowball. I straightened back up. Vaughn was giving me a weird look, but then he narrowed his eyes at me.

"No, Chelsea." He backed up some.

I smirked and raised the snowball over my head. "Have some fun!"

Then I pitched it at him. It hit him right in the face. I gasped, but fell into a fit of laughter. Vaughn wiped his face, growling. He glared so hard at me, I wondered if he was getting a headache. I ignored his anger and laughed harder, accidentally snorting a little. I quickly covered my mouth and looked at Vaughn to see if he heard. He looked amused.

I blushed and turned away to make another snowball. Suddenly I felt something cold smack my back. I turned to see Vaughn brushing off his hands, smirking.

"Oh it's on." I told him.

…

A half hour later we were both damp, cold, and laughing. Yes, Vaughn actually laughed. Only a few times, but it was worth getting beamed in the head with snow. My hands were numb and red, so I tried to get warmth and feeling back into them. I just knew I was going to catch some sort of cold. But I didn't really care. I glanced at Vaughn and smiled. I felt like we were real friends now.

**A/N: This is the longest chapter *claps* and the fluffiest. . I need to get better at writing fluff. **

**So yay! Vaughn is warming up to Chelsea. Ironic it happened in the snow right? (Haha.) I feel like the story is finally progressing. And I was surprised when I realized what chapter this is. Already 15 chapters! It's only felt like a few… .**

**Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter. I won't be updating for a few days due to a small last minute vacation and school next week. So please excuse me for the wait : (**

**Review :D **


	16. Chapter 16

Vaughn and I silently walked out of the forest. I was trying my best not to shiver, but I couldn't help my chattering teeth. I thought about going home first before dinner with Julia, but decided I wasn't up for the walk. Vaughn seemed perfectly fine, even though he was as damp as I was. His face wasn't even red, like I knew mine was. My nose was numb, along with my hands and feet.

The snow was still coming down at a steady pace. I guessed there was about four inches already. My red rain boots threatened to slip off every step I took. I stumbled once, causing my right boot to slip completely off. I caught myself from falling, but cringed at the stinging cold as my socked foot stepped into the snow. Vaughn looked concerned, picking up the boot.

"I'm so getting sick after this." I said through chattering teeth as he handed me my boot. I quickly put it back on.

"S'why you should wear appropriate clothes for this season." He said.

"I know." I sighed. "But I didn't think to pack any when I left home."

"You could order from Chen."

I considered this. "Yeah, I guess. Or I could go home. I'm a little homesick anyway."

He looked alarmed. "Go home? For good?"

My eyes widened, "Oh, no! I mean, visit home."

He relaxed, and coughed. "Oh."

I sighed again. "But I couldn't do that."

"Why not?"

"I have no one to looked after my ranch." I told him. "I mean, maybe Mark… ."

"He isn't good with animals." He said quickly.

"I could teach him. Just like you're gonna teach me to ride Coco in the spring."

"Who said that?" He grunted.

"You."

He grumbled under his breath and opened the door to the animal shop. He held it open for me to walk through. As I did, I smiled at the gesture. He really is a gentlemen at times.

Julia, who was on the couch, gasped at we came in. She rushed over to me, grabbing my shoulders.

"What happened to you?" She asked. I looked down at myself for the first time. My clothes were obviously drenched. I looked back at Vaughn, who was smirking. You couldn't tell his clothes were wet because they were black.

"It's snowing, Julia." I stated.

"Walking in the snow doesn't make your whole body wet." She replied, eying me. She looked to Vaughn, squinting.

"I fell." I told her, drawing her attention away from Vaughn. "You know how clumsy I can be."

She seemed to believe this. "True."

Mirabelle suddenly came from the kitchen. She smiled warmly at us. "Julia, why don't you give Chelsea some dry clothes? And you all can eat here instead of walking all the way to the diner in the snow."

"Alright, mom." Julia said, pulling me back into her room. Once we were in there and the door was shut she began to go through her dresser. She pulled out a pair of short shorts and held them up for me to see, smirking.

I glared. "No."

"Aw, Vaughn would like to see you in these." She complained.

"I doubt that. Plus, I need warm clothes. It's winter, in case you haven't noticed."

"Fine." She huffed. She grabbed a pair of gray pants and threw them at me. "Wear the gross sweat pants."

"With pleasure."

"And here's a T-shirt and a sweat shirt. Enjoy."

She handed me the clothes and walked out, closing the door behind her. I quickly changed, and looked at myself in her full length mirror. The pants weren't baggy around my thighs, but they loosened up at my knees. The sweatshirt was comfortable and loose. My read rucksack and boots stood out. I looked kinda sloppy, and my tangled hair didn't help. I grabbed Julia's brush, knowing she wouldn't mind, and tore off my bandana. I brushed my hair, and pulled it back into a tight ponytail. Then I tied my bandana back on.

I left Julia's room and walked back into the shop area. Julia was back on the couch, reading some book. I took a seat next to her and crossed my legs. She closed her book and looked at me, smiling.

"Huh, you can pull off the lazy look really well." She told me.

"I don't know how to take that." I said.

She rolled her eyes. "Anyway, did Vaughn like his gift?"

I managed to control my facial expression. "Yeah, thankfully."

"Mhm, and did he thank you?" She smirked.

I paused. "Actually, no. He didn't… ."

Julia narrowed her eyes. "He _didn't_?"

"Julia, it's fine." I said hurriedly. "What do you expect him to do? Sob and hug me?"

'_That's what you did._' my conscience suddenly reminded me. I tried to ignore it.

"I guess you're right." Julia said. "But a simple 'thank you' isn't too hard to say."

"Julia! Help me set out plates!" Mirabelle suddenly called from the kitchen.

Julia groaned, getting up. "Hey, go tell Vaughn it's time to eat."

She left before I got the chance to protest. I sighed, and walked around into the hallway, I stopped and looked around. There were four doors. I knew the first one was Julia's, and the one next to hers was Mirabelle's room. And I knew the bathroom was at the end of the hallway, facing me. So that left the room next to Mirabelle's. I took a deep breath and went to the door. I noticed it was slightly ajar, and wondered if I should just open it. But I guessed he wouldn't like that at all, so I knocked lightly.

I waited but no one answered. I bit my lip nervously and knocked again, louder this time. Suddenly the door was pulled open, and Vaughn stood there, somewhat glaring at me. He was in dry clothes now, and was missing his hat. I smiled lightly up at him.

"Julia wanted me to tell you it's time for dinner."

He sighed, but it was like a sigh and a groan mixed together. He stepped out into the hall, shutting his door behind him and started walking towards the kitchen. I followed behind him. We entered just as Mirabelle was pouring soup into the last bowl on the table. She smiled at us.

"I hope you like home made chicken noodle soup." She said. "I thought I'd make something warm since it was so cold today."

"Thanks, Mirabelle." I said, sitting next to Julia.

Vaughn silently sat across from me and began eating. Mirabelle sat next to him and buttered some bread.

"So, how's the ranch Chelsea?" She asked.

"Fine." I said after swallowing the hot soup. "Though all I have to do now is care for my livestock."

She nodded. "You've really turned this island around, you know."

I shook my head, not wanting her to start this again. But she continued. "We wouldn't have gotten this far without you."

Julia seemed to know I wanted to change the subject. "Mom, please, you're embarrassing her."

She chuckled. "I'm just being honest."

"Anyway." Julia said loudly. Her gaze landed on Vaughn. "How are _you_ Vaughn?"

He paused in his eating and looked at Julia, glaring. "Why does it matter to you?"

Julia acted hurt. "Because I'm basically your sister!"

Vaughn snorted. "As if."

"I bet you'd answer _Chelsea _if _she _asked how you were." Julia said pointedly. I shot her a look, but she didn't seem to notice.

Vaughn deepened his glare and stood up, grabbing some bread. "I don't have to deal with this."

He stormed out, leaving us in silence. Mirabelle gave Julia a stern look and shook her head. Julia shrugged and continued to eat. I felt a bit awkward, but I just ate my soup slowly.

"He's always been like that." Mirabelle sighed. "I wish he could be happier."

Julia rolled her eyes. "Vaughn? Happy? Those two words don't go together."

I felt like she was wrong. Vaughn was misjudged by a lot of people… . "They could, one day." I said. "Don't jump to conclusions."

Julia gave me a look. "Really? You know how he is. Rude, mean, depressing. He's been that way since his mom died."

Mirabelle puffed out her cheeks at Julia, giving her a 'shut up' look. I shook my head. "No I know already. And he isn't all those things. He just seems that way. And acts that way. He's actually a lot different."

Julia eyes me. "You're defending him?"

"Yeah, I am." I snapped. She looked taken back. I sighed. I didn't know why I was so worked up about this. "Sorry. I don't know. I just feel like he's misjudged… ."

"You're absolutely right, Chelsea." Mirabelle reassured me. "I'm glad he has a friend like you."

"It's getting late." I said quietly. "I better get home and get ready for tomorrow."

I got up, said my goodbyes, and exited the kitchen. I was thinking about my outburst when I bumped into something halfway down the hall. It was Vaughn. My eyes widened as I looked up at him. He looked surprised and a bit thoughtful.

I realized he must have heard what I'd said. Why else would he look at me like this? And I was sure my voice carried through the small hall to him. He must have stayed and listened. My gut wrenched and I rushed past him and out the door.

As I trudged through the snow, I wondered what Vaughn thought about what I said.

**A/N: Sorry for the late update! School's been crazy, and today was especially crazy. There was this whole problem with my phone going missing. But no worries, I found it : ) Anyway, there are probably a lot of mistakes in this chapter. I was in a rush to write, and update it. I really wanted to finish tonight before bed so you guys wouldn't lose faith in this story lol.**

**So this chapter is…eh. It's kinda just a filler, in a way. The end is a bit important though. : ) **

**Hope you liked it! Review!**


	17. Chapter 17

The next day I avoided Julia and the animal shop entirely. I didn't feel like explaining myself and I was worried about the whole Vaughn hearing what I said thing. I decided to go for a walk to clear my mind and ended up on the beach.

It was a cloudy day and the wind was cold. There was still snow on the ground from the day before but it seemed to have melted a little. I approached the rock on the right side of the beach and sat on it, sighing. I hugged my thin jacket closer to myself and looked around the beach.

I spotted Denny on the dock, holding a fishing rod. I wondered if he actually caught things when it was this cold out. He noticed me and grinned, waving. I gave a small half-hearted wave in return. He started walking towards me.

Denny was one of my good friends, but I haven't seen him lately. He's been busy with Lanna and fishing, and I've been busy with farming and…Vaughn. I liked talking to Denny because he always knew what to say to cheer me up.

"Hey Chelsea!" He greeted cheerfully.

"Hey Denny." I glumly said.

"What's got you down?" He asked, leaning against the rock next to me.

I sighed. "It's nothing. Just stupid stuff."

"I'm sure it's more than that."

I sighed, and it was silent for a moment. Then I asked, "What do you think of Vaughn?"

"Vaughn? Huh, why do you ask?"

"Just wondering."

"Vaughn's a cool guy. He's act all tough and mean on the outside, but he's secretly a softy on the inside. Me and him are buddies."

"Really?" I asked, surprised. "You're friends? I didn't know he had any other real friends."

"Sure. We chat while he waits for the ship. Lately he's been asking for advice."

"On what?"

"Girls mostly."

My throat tightened up, but I managed to speak normally. "Girls? Seriously? Like what?"

"Like how to approach them and how to act around them. He's hopeless really." Denny chuckled.

"Did he say which girl?" I asked. My voice squeaked a little and he raised an eyebrow, smirking.

"Why so interested?"

"W-wouldn't you be? If Vaughn actually likes someone its big news right?"

"Kinda." Denny said, still smirking. "He never said who. Even after I asked. But I have my suspicions."

"Mhm." I mumbled. I was thinking about how it could be Sabrina. She's been trying hard to get him to notice her lately. For a moment I wondered if it could be me, but I quickly dismissed that thought. Vaughn and I were just friends. He didn't seem to want anything more than that, so I should just get over it. But the thought of it being Sabrina made me feel sick. She wasn't right for him at all.

"So tell me what's wrong." Denny demanded.

I sighed. "Well, some of it has to do with Vaughn, and some of it has to do with the festival."

"Tell me about the Vaughn part first."

"I-it's nothing really."

"Chelsea, I can tell you like him. It's obvious." He gave a small laugh.

I felt myself blush a little. "That's not true."

"It is." Denny grinned. "Don't worry too much about Vaughn. He'll warm up to ya eventually."

"Anyway," I said, changing the subject. "About the festival. I'm thinking about just blowing it off."

"Why?" He looked confused.

"I have a feeling Mark wants to ask me to go, but I don't really want to go with him. I don't like him that way. So to avoid hurting his feelings I'll just not go at all. I'll say I'm busy or something. It's not like anyone else will ask me."

"You don't know that." Denny told me. "Maybe Vaughn will."

"I wish." I said before I thought about it. I blushed immediately, wishing to take it back.

"I knew it!" Denny laughed.

"I meant as friends." I said, trying to cover myself up. But it was obvious I was lying.

"You're a terrible liar."

"I know… ." I sighed.

"Don't worry too much about things. They'll work out the way their suppose to, so just let it play out." Denny told me, smiling.

I smiled in return. "Thank Denny. That helps."

"I'm glad I could help. I have to meet Lanna now." He looked a bit nervous.

"Why do you way that like it's a bad thing?" I asked.

"I'm going to ask her to the festival today."

I grinned. "That's great! She'll defiantly say yes."

"I can only hope so. See you!" He jogged away, waving.

"Bye, and thanks!" I called after him.

I stayed on the rock for a while, spacing out. Soon it was getting dark and I decided to confront Julia. I hoped she'd act as if nothing happened. That would be so much easier on me. As I entered the shop, I saw Elliot walking towards the door. I smiled at him.

"Hey Elliot."

"Hey Chelsea." He said without nervousness. He seemed really confident for a change, but he was blushing a little, which wasn't uncommon for him.

"Did you just see Julia?" I asked before he parted.

"Yeah." His blush deepened.

"Is she in a good mood?"

"I would say she is." He said, starting to sound nervous again.

"Thanks. See you later, Elliot."

He nodded and left. I had a feeling he and Julia just had a conversation, and a good one at that. I walked into the hall way, glancing at Vaughn's bedroom door for a moment, and then knocked on Julia's door.

"Come in!" She called.

I opened the door and found Julia on her bed, grinning. She waved me over to sit with her. As I did, she started to ramble.

"Oh my gosh, Chelsea. Elliot just asked me to Starry Night! I was sure I'd have to ask him. But he proved me wrong. And he wasn't even that nervous, though he was sweating a bit. Regardless, he finally took action. I'm so happy!" She said in one breath.

I smiled at her. "I knew he would. Congrats."

She sighed happily. "Now I cant wait till next week. What are you plans?"

"Nothing really. I don't think I'll be doing anything."

"What! Why not?"

"I don't want to go with Mark. He is only a friend to me. And, uh, same goes for Vaughn. If I were to go, I would want to go with someone that's not just a friend."

"Then…go with Vaughn."

I smacked her arm lightly. "You know we're just friends, Julia."

"I dunno. Last night told me something different."

"We're just friends. And I'm sorry about last night. I don't know what came over me."

"It's fine. I understand. Sometimes people do weird things when they like someone." She winked at me.

I groaned. "Julia, I already explained this to you. So many times."

She laughed. "I know, I know. But you can't hide it forever."

"Julia." I warned.

"Fine, fine." She laughed. "I wont tease you anymore tonight. Let's go grab some dinner with Natalie instead."

"As long as you both stay away from topics that involve Vaughn."

"I promise." She started to pull me out of her room. "But I can't say Natalie wont."

I sighed and let her lead me. Were my feelings about Vaughn really that obvious? I never thought so. and Vaughn doesn't seem to notice. As long as he didn't know, I was fine. I don't know what I'd do if he found out.

Though, somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew he'd have to sooner or later. I preferred later.

**A/N: IM SO SORRY it took so long for me to upload a chapter, and a boring one at that. I've been so busy. And I was going to update this past weekend but I got sick and couldn't : ( I hope some people are still reading this! **

**I have next chapter planned so I'm hoping it wont take as long to update. Wish me luck.**

**Please Review : )**


	18. Chapter 18

It was one in the afternoon, and I was completely covered in mud. One of my chickens escaped from the coop, forcing me to chase it through the almost melted snow. I had slipped and fell into a muddy spot.

And tonight was the Starry Night festival.

I was just considering going with Mark, as friends, earlier. But now my mood was ruined. I glumly made my way home and cleaned myself up. I threw on some sweats, not caring how I looked, and walked over to Natalie's. Normally I'd go to Julia's, but it was Wednesday and I didn't want to run into Vaughn.

Natalie answered the door, which was strange. She started to grin, but saw my face and immediately changed her expression to concerned.

"Hey, Chels. What's wrong?" She asked, stepping aside to let me in.

"Bad day." I replied.

"What happened?" She asked. I sighed, and told her about my bad luck earlier. She shook her head. "That sucks, but don't worry. Tonight's Starry Night, so something good is bound to happen."

"I'm not going."

"What! Come on Chels. You'll be the only girl on the island not going."

"I don't think Sabrina is going with anyone… ." I said, secretly hoping that was true. If she were to go with anyone, it'd be Vaughn for sure.

"Oh, yeah… .But she never does anything. But you're _Chelsea_, and the Chelsea I know does everything. You participate in every event even if you know you don't stand a chance, and you're still not discouraged! So a simple Starry Night shouldn't defeat you."

I smiled at her words. They comforted me a little bit. "But I don't have anyone to go with."

"There's Vaughn. Or Mark. But you should ask Vaughn."

"Natalie, Vaughn doesn't do these kind of things. But Mark would…I was going to ask him, as a friend, but this morning threw me off."

"Then go ask him!" Natalie said, starting to push me towards the door.

"I guess I will." I sighed. "Wish me luck."

"Luck!" She laughed, shutting the door.

I stood for a minute, wondering if I was really going through with this. I decided I had nothing to lose. Just as I started to walk towards East Town, I heard a voice call out to me.

"Hey, Chelsea!" Denny jogged up to me, grinning. "What are you up to?"

"Well, I decided I'm not going to spend tonight alone. So I'm on my way to ask Mark to go."

Denny's face fell for half a second. "Mark? What about Vaughn?"

I shook my head. "He would never ask me to go, and I'm definitely not going to ask him. I don't want to be humiliated."

Denny glanced behind me, and nodded. "I guess you're right. I hope you have fun tonight."

"Thanks, Denny."

He walked past me and into the animal shop, and I continued walking to the Inn. In the back of my mind, I wondered why Denny would go inside the animal shop. He never goes in there. But I ignored that and focused on what I was going to say to Mark.

I knew I had to make it clear I only wanted to go as friends. I didn't want him to try to pull a move on me because then it'd get awkward between us. And he's such a good friend. I don't want to ruin that relationship. I've never had that many guy friends, so it was nice to joke around with Mark. I kinda knew he liked me, since he sometimes made it obvious, but I was sure he'd realize we couldn't ever be a thing and move on.

I was so deep in thought, I hardly heard my name being called. I absentmindedly turned my head to look behind me, and was shocked to see Vaughn jogging up to me. I stared at him in amazement. He was breathing heavily, his face was flushed, and his hat was crooked.

"Chelsea, uh… ." He started to say but his words trailed off. He took a breath and asked, "I-I have a question."

"Yeah…?" I answered slowly.

"Well, I was wondering if you, uh, wanted to spend tonight with me." He said in a rush, blushing. I stared at him in utter shock, wondering if I'd heard him right. "As-as friends of course. Julia told me you had no one to go with, and she was bugging me to go, so…I figured we could go together."

I couldn't form any words quick enough. I glanced behind me at the Inn.

"Or…would you rather go with the block-head?" Vaughn asked, his voice hardening.

"N-no!" I said, shaking my head. "I'm just surprised. Y-yeah I'll go with you."

"Then I'll see you at eight." He said quickly, and speed-walked away.

I stared after him, frozen. I couldn't believe that just happened. I almost pinched myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming. I stood there for a while, just thinking. Vaughn was long gone now, and I was still shocked by the events that has just happened. I began to walk slowly, not really paying attention to my surroundings.

Did this mean Vaughn liked me? Or did he really just need someone to go with? Julia might have pressured him into asked me, or anyone. She thinks everyone should celebrate this holiday. I didn't want to get my hopes up, so I tried to convince myself it was just that. But I couldn't help wonder why, if that were true, he didn't ask Sabrina. She would be more than willing to go with him, and he knew that. Maybe that's why he asked me. He just wanted to go with someone he knew well enough. I could understand that, since that's exactly why I was planning on asking Mark.

My thoughts were abruptly interrupted when my foot hit a patch of ice and I slipped, falling backwards. I felt my head crack against the ground, and my vision went black.

….

When I opened my eyes, my vision was a little blurry. It slowly returned and I could see someone looking over me. I felt groggy, as if I had just woken up from a deep sleep. I could tell it was Sabrina who was looking down at me with concern, which surprised me. I blinked a few times.

"Are you alright?" Sabrina asked formally. She seemed to force her words.

I didn't answer right away, but finally asked, "How long was I…?"

"I'm not sure. I didn't see you fall, but I looked out my window and saw you laying here."

I lifted my arm enough to look at my watch. It was after three. I tried to do the math in my head. It was about two thirty when I left to ask Mark…and the walk takes fifteen minutes. And the conversation with Vaughn took maybe five…I gave up. I couldn't think right now.

"You're lips are awfully blue, and you're face is red, if that has anything to say." Sabrina told me.

I sat up slowly, realizing I was really numb. Sabrina hesitated before holding out a small hand for me. Then I hesitated before taking it. She helped me keep my balance as I stood up. My head swam a little but a moment later I felt completely fine. There was a slight throbbing in the back of my head, and I was cold, but other than that I was okay.

"Thanks, Sabrina." I said, meaning it.

"Are you stable?" She asked. I nodded, and she backed up. "Good. Goodbye."

She walked off and went back inside her house. I took a deep breath. Did that really just happen? Why are these things happening to me today? I slowly made my way to the animal shop, looking at the ground the whole time so I wouldn't slip again. When I got there, I opened the door and went inside, welcoming the warm air hitting my skin.

"Chelsea?" I heard Mirabelle ask. "Oh my, are you alright?"

She came out from behind the counter and rushed over to me. She grabbed my hands, then touched my face.

"You're ice cold, dear. What happened?"

"I slipped and hit my head on some ice… ." I told her. "I guess I blacked out for a little while."

She became very alarmed and ushered me over to the couch and made me sit down. She grabbed the blanket that was draped over it and wrapped me in it. "Are you alright? That's very dangerous. Good thing you woke up."

"I'm fine, really. Just cold."

"I'll go get you a hot drink and tell Julia what happened." She said, heading into the hallway, calling for Julia.

A few seconds later Julia appeared from around the corner and ran over to me. "Oh my gosh, Chelsea. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I am." I assured her.

"Let me see your head." She gently grabbed my head and inspected the back of it. A moment later she let go. "Well you're not bleeding, but I think it's bruised a little."

"Yeah, it's a little sore. But I feel fine. Really. I'm just so clumsy… ."

"I can't believe you. Natalie told me what happened to you this morning. What's up with you today?" She asked, sitting next to me.

"I'm just having a bad day I guess." I shrugged. "But one good thing did happen."

"What?"

"Vaughn asked me to spend tonight with him." I told her quietly.

"Ha! I knew it." She grinned.

"Huh?"

"Denny came in here this morning and told Vaughn you were going to ask Mark to go with you. After a few minutes of him basically at war with himself, Vaughn finally rushed out of here. I knew he'd go find you."

I took in this new information with more shock. I didn't know how to respond to that, so I was grateful when Mirabelle suddenly appeared and handed me a steaming mug.

"It's hot tea. You're fine with tea right?"

"Yeah, thanks."

She watched me as I took a sip. "Are you sure you're fine?"

I nodded, starting to get slightly annoyed. "I really am. Don't worry."

"Alright… ." She said,

"What's going on?" Vaughn asked, coming out of nowhere. He looked at me, then at Mirabelle.

"Chelsea had a fall." Mirabelle told him, before going back into the kitchen.

He looked at me again, more concerned. "A fall?"

"Yeah, she slipped on some ice, hit her head, and blacked out." Julia explained, after glancing at me. I eyed her knowing what she was doing. "Poor Chels, she was probably out there for a while before she woke up, in the cold."

"But," I interjected before she could say any more, "I'm _fine_."

"I'll go get you more tea." She said, grabbing my still half full mug from me and leaving the room. I sighed, and leaned back against the couch. Julia was really something sometimes.

Vaughn was silent for a moment. I glanced up at him, but he was looking down.

"I guess I should have walked you back." He said.

"Wha…no. No, Vaughn. This isn't you're fault." I almost laughed. "I'm just clumsy. It wasn't the first time I fell today."

It was silent again. I was thinking about how Julia was evil when I suddenly remembered why I didn't want to see Vaughn today. I remembered what happened last week at dinner. I felt my self heat up, which was bad and good at the same time. I stood up quickly, ignoring the slight dizziness.

"I-I have to go." I told him.

"Are you sure? Will you be okay walking home?" He asked.

I just walked past him. "Yeah, I will. Sorry, I, um, have to do some things."

I walked out of there, wondering if I made the right choice in leaving. Maybe he didn't even remember. Or hear for that matter. Maybe I've been worrying about nothing all week. I could only hope so as I got home and got in bed. I was still a little cold, and felt tired. I reached over and set my alarm for five o' clock. I could use a nap right now…

**A/N: I was going to have the actual Starry Night in the chapter, but decided to have a whole chapter dedicated to it instead of cramming into this one. So I made Chelsea have a little nap lol : ) I'm glad it didn't take me long to update this time. Yay for that .**

**So this chapter is different then what I originally planned, but I think it worked out. I bet no one expected Chelsea's untimely clumsiness today, huh? Tell me what you think!**

**If you Review, I'll be really happy : )**


	19. Chapter 19

The sound of my alarm clocked slowly made its way into my dream, which I forgot immediately after waking up. I let out a huge yawn and reached over to quiet the alarm. I froze when I saw the time. It was after eight

Didn't I set it for five? Panicked, I leapt out of bed and was about to run to the bathroom when I heard pounding at my door. I stared at it for a moment before realizing that it was probably Vaughn. I looked down at myself, groaning. I was still dressed in my baggy sweats, which were now wrinkled. I looked at the door again when it suddenly burst open. I repressed a scream, but stumbled back and landed on my butt on the floor. Vaughn stood there, breathing hard, looking around in a panic. Once his eyes landed on me, his face went blank and he just stared. I stared back, wide-eyed, unsure of why he just did that. Suddenly his face grew angry and he stalked towards me.

"What the heck, Chelsea!" He asked, yanking me up by my arm.

I stared at him, shocked. "W-what?"

"I've been knocking at your door for over five minutes and I could hear your alarm blaring the whole time!"

"I over slept!" I defended myself. "I'm not sure why the alarm didn't wake me at five."

He just stared at me, motionless.

"Why did you bash my door in?" I asked, looking at it. "The lock's probably broken now!"

"I thought you were hurt, or in trouble!" He snarled. "Why else wouldn't you turn off the alarm clock or answer the door?"

"Hm, I dunno, maybe cause I was _sleeping?_"

"I don't know anyone who could sleep through all that." He growled.

"Well, sorry. I've had a long day." I said quietly, reaching up to touch my still sore head.

His shoulders relaxed and he sighed. "Right, I'm sorry too. I had forgotten."

I looked down at my feet for a moment, wishing my luck wasn't so bad. Tonight was the Starry Night festival and I had already messed it up.

"Well…" Vaughn walked towards the door. My heart sank in my chest, thinking he was going to leave, but he shut the door instead, after inspecting the lock. "You better get ready if you still want to do this."

I nodded. "Yeah."

"Don't bother putting on anything fancy." He said, flushing a little. "I didn't."

I nodded again before rushing up to my dresser and pulling out a pair of long jeans, which I hardly wear, and a long sleeved red shirt . I ran to the bathroom, making sure to not look at Vaughn, who I could feel watching me. Once I shut the door I looked in the mirror, horrified. My hair looked a mess. It was by far the worst bed-head I've ever had. Of course. I, painfully, brushed it out and got changed. The jeans fit me perfectly, still after years of having them. They were my favorite because they were faded, comfortable, and looked great on me. The shirt was a little tighter than I remembered, but I ignored that and applied a small amount of make up, mostly to cover up the apparent signs that I had just woken up. After finishing up in the bathroom, I pulled on my red boots and put on the only jacket I had.

Vaughn was sitting at my table, staring at nothing when I finished. I cleared my throat and he looked at me. He stared for a moment, then stood up and went towards the door.

"Well, come on." He said.

I followed him out the door and closed it behind me. It wouldn't shut all the way and I gave him a look. "If I get robbed, it's your fault."

"Sorry, but I doubt you'd get robbed. I'll pay for the repairs though."

"Good."

We started to walk in silence. The air was colder than I expected, but at least the sky was clear.

"So where are we going?" I asked Vaughn.

"To the middle of your field. I don't know about you, but I don't feel like meeting any-going anywhere else."

I smirked. So he was afraid of running into someone? Typical for Vaughn. "That's fine."

We sat in the middle of my empty field on the little snow that was left from days before. After a few minutes of silence I decided to speak up.

"Sorry about earlier. It's been a really weird day." I told him.

"It's okay." He mumbled.

"But I can't believe you burst through my door like that. You scared me half to death." I chuckled, hugging my knees.

"I was worried." He told me, sounding uncomfortable. "I mean, considering what happened today, you could have had a concussion or something, and couldn't wake up."

"But I'm fine. Just a little bump."

"Thanks." I said after a pause.

He eyes me. "I'm not sure if that was sarcastic or not."

"It wasn't." I laughed. "I really mean it. Thanks for caring."

He blushed and looked away. "Don't mention it. Please."

I leaned back on my hands, ignoring the stinging cold on my hands. "I'm surprised the sky is so clear tonight. Usually winter nights are cloudy. It's like the world knows what tonight is and makes sure it's a clear night."

He stared at me for a second, then laughed. "That sounded ridiculous, Chelsea."

"Really? I thought it sounded deep."

He laughed again, causing me to smile. I cant explain how his laugh effected me. It made me feel warm and happy, even though I was freezing and had a horrible day.

"Sure, deep." He said.

I looked up at the sky again, admiring the stars. They seemed so bold against the dark sky, and there were so many. "Do you know any constellations?" I asked him.

"A few." He answered. "But only simple ones like the Big Dipper and stuff."

"I don't know any. Where is it?"

He looked up and scanned the sky for a few moments. "There, right next to the Little Dipper."

He pointed up and I looked up too. "There's a little one too?"

He looked at me. "I can't believe you've never heard of the Big and Little Dipper."

"Well, I lived in a really small town that focused on farming, not stars. There weren't even that many TV's or phones. Just people and farms."

He shook his head. "But even I know what they are."

I laughed a little. "That's saying something. Maybe I should get a book on stars or something."

He chuckled and we fell into silence. I scanned the sky for the Big Dipper again and after a while, I thought I finally found it when Vaughn spoke up.

"So you were going to ask Mark out tonight?"

I bit my lip nervously and looked at him. "Well I didn't want to spend tonight alone, and I've never celebrated this before."

"So you would have went with anyone?" He asked, seeming to get annoyed.

"No!" I assured him. "I mean, I was going to ask Mark since I knew he wanted to go with me and I didn't expect you-or anyone else, to ask me. So I thought he was my only option." I paused. "That sounded mean. Mark's my friend, and I would have been fine going with him, but I sorta didn't want to."

He stared at me.

"That sounded mean too…" I sighed. "What I mean is-"

He laughed a little. "I get it Chelsea."

I sighed again. Then I took a deep breath and said "I actually wanted to go with you tonight."

He blushed and stared at me. I kicked myself for saying that. I knew I shouldn't have. I looked away, waiting for the awkward moment I created pass.

"I wanted to go with you too." He said suddenly. "I would have asked you earlier but I wasn't sure… ."

I looked at him, surprised. "Why wouldn't I go with you?"

"Maybe because I'm rude, selfish, and mean?" He scoffed.

"I don't think you're any of those things." I told him. "Maybe at first, but not anymore."

"What changed?"

"I know you now."

He froze, staring at me. Then he looked as if he was going to protest, but then just shook his head. "You're one of few."

I rubbed my hands together for a moment, thinking. "Why is that, exactly?"

"Why is what?"

"Why don't you let people know you? With out the challenge?"

He was silent for a few long seconds, then answered with "I never needed nor wanted anyone to know me."

"Why?"

He seemed to become irritated. "What's with all the questions? We're not playing that stupid game, so quit it."

"Then let's play the stupid game."

"No way."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Okay fine. But at least tell me why you let me in your life."

"I didn't let you." He scoffed. "You forced your way in."

I scrunched up my brow. "Forced…?"

"Basically."

"So it's a bad thing." I said solemnly.

"N-no," He said quickly. "Just…unexpected. I'm actually glad…that, uh, you tried."

"What do you mean?" I leaned back again, looking at the stars. I wondered what time it was, but didn't bother looking at my watch.

"I mean…usually when people meet me they understand right away that I don't want to be bothered. But _you_ were persistent. You wouldn't give up." He paused, and I could feel him looking at me. "I guess that's why we're, um, friends."

"So it's a good thing." I said, looking at him again.

"Yeah." He said, looking me in the eye. "I guess it is."

For a moment he just looked at me. I felt my heart rate increase drastically. I tried to think of something to say, but for once my mind was blank. Suddenly he looked away, which somehow disappointed me. I mentally sighed and absentmindedly looked around my field. By now, I was numb. I wish I had a heavier jacket or something.

Vaughn finally spoke up, quietly. "I know how you can repay me now."

I glanced at him, interested. "How?"

Suddenly he grabbed my chin, gently, and pulled my face towards his. And then he was kissing me. I was frozen, utterly shocked. My lips tingled so much, as if they were waking up from the cold. Then he let go and pushed me away slowly. I stared at him with my mouth hanging open, unbelievably surprised, and happy, and…so many other things. He hid his face with his hat, faced away from me, and coughed.

"It's getting late." He said, standing.

I remained seated, my face burning. He held out a hand, still not looking at me. I took it and he easily lifted me up.

We began to walk, slowly, back to my house. The scene replayed in my head multiple times and I still couldn't believe what happened. Or understand it. Did this mean he liked me?

_Well, duh_, I scolded myself. _He wouldn't kiss you if he didn't have some sort of feelings for you._

This thought brought a whole new wave of feelings.

I glanced at him, but he was still facing away from me. We walked up to my door silently and somewhat awkwardly. I took a deep breath and faced him. He was finally looking at me, his face a bright pink. I could see he was terrified of my reaction. That, or nervous. It was hard to tell.

I gave him a small smile and said the first thing that came to mind. "Is that all you wanted?"

His face got even brighter, and I thought about what I said.

"I-I mean, not like that!" I rushed. "I mean, like…oh never mind."

I sighed, and he smirked. I turned and pushed my door open. It swung open easily. I glanced at Vaughn, seeing his guilty expression and smiled. "It's okay."

I stepped inside my warm house and faced Vaughn again. He stood in my doorway, looking every but my face.

"Are you, uh, mad?" He asked.

"Why would I be mad?" I replied slowly. "I'm not mad at all. Not even slightly."

He gave a small nod and took a step back. "Well, goodnight."

"Thanks for tonight." I said. My mind was screaming for me to ask what the kiss meant. Did it mean we were…a couple? But I chickened out. "Goodnight."

He walked away and I shut the door slowly. I stood there for a while, staring at the door lost in thought. The wind blew my door open a little, bringing me back to earth. I shivered slightly at the chilly air and grabbed a chair from my table. After propping it up against the wall I got ready for bed in a daze. When I finally looked at the time it was eleven.

I got comfortable under the covers, but couldn't bring myself to go to sleep. Millions of thoughts raced through my mind. Most of them were questions. Questions I couldn't answer myself. After a long while, I finally drifted off into a restless sleep.

**A/N: FINALLY. I'm glad it's finally the climax. This chapter was difficult to write…I can't tell you how many times I typed a paragraph, then deleted it and started over. Nothing seemed right. Not even what I have now seems right, but I thought I couldn't keep you guys waiting any longer, so it'll do. (Please excuse any mistakes in the chapter)**

**Give me your opinions please! I'd appreciate any constructive criticism right now. Or any ideas for the next chapter (because I'm completely lost on what to do next.)**

**Review please :) I'm sorry it too so long to update by the way :(**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Sorry it's been so long guys. I just got through one of my most stressful weeks so far this year. I'm surprised I made it without punching something lol. Anyway, I finally updated. It's not my best, so sorry again guys :( **

I was convinced it was all a dream. It was too bazaar not to be one. Though, once I saw one of my dining room chairs propped up against my door, I knew it wasn't. Vaughn really did break down my door. Vaughn really _did_ kiss me.

I remained in bed for a while, putting off my daily chores, trying to figure out how to approach Vaughn about last night.

But my mind was blank.

I sighed, dragging myself out of bed and got ready for the day. I preformed my chores slowly, stalling as much as I could. Soon enough I finished. I stood by my shipping bin for a moment, where I had just emptied my rucksack of sell-able items. Apart from my best milk. I planned to give it to Vaughn, or if I chickened out, Mirabelle.

As I was walking down the path from my ranch, I ran into Lanna, which was strange. She bounced up to me, seeming cheery as usual.

"Hey, Chelsea!"

"Hey." I said. "What are you doing here?"

She pouted. "That was rude. Can't I do something different once in a while?"

"No, no!" I waved my hands. "I didn't mean it in a rude way, I was just-"

"Relax Chelsea!" She laughed. "I'm just joking. I was actually on my way to see you."

This was even stranger. "Really? Why?"

She linked her arm with mine and pulled me along as she walked towards the beach. "We hardly talk Chelsea, so I thought we could catch up."

"Alright…?" I said warily. Something in her voice made me worry. She was up to something.

"Tell me how your farm's doing." She demanded cheerfully. I didn't know that was possible.

"It's…fine. Since it's winter though, I can't harvest anything. So I'm a little short on money this season."

"Mhm." She nodded. "And how are your animals?"

"Good."

"Okay… .And how's your love life?"

I stopped in my tracts and glared at her. "So that's what this is about."

"What?" She asked innocently.

"Don't play dumb." I commanded.

She sighed in defeat. "Alright. Denny told me Vaughn asked you to Starry Night and I wanted the info."

"Too bad. You're not getting it."

"Aw come on Chels." She begged. "I wont tell anyone."

I scoffed in reply.

"Fine." She pouted. "I'll just ask Denny later. Vaughn tells him lots of things, maybe he'll tell him what went down last night."

"Nothing 'went down', Lanna." I chuckled. "But I doubt Denny would tell you Vaughn's personal business."

She squinted her eyes at me, jabbing a finger. "I'll find out what happened, you just wait."

Then she turned and ran off, yelling goodbye at me. I shook my head, laughing a little. I knew she wasn't really mad at me or anything. I backtracked to the animal shop and stood at the door. I hesitated before opening it.

I was relieved not to see Vaughn anywhere. Julia saw me and walked up to me, grinning.

"Hey, you." She said playfully.

"Don't start." I said, walking past her over to the couch.

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. You're not getting anything."

She jumped on the couch next to me. "Oh, please! I've been waiting all morning for the details! All I know is Vaughn was really quiet when he came home and this morning. And when I asked him, he got embarrassed and left. What did you do to him?"

"I didn't do anything to him." I laughed.

"I think that's a lie."

"Well, it's the truth." I told her. "Now, how about you tell me how you're night went?"

"It wasn't anything special." She shrugged. "Elliot and I watched the stars for a bit, but he got cold so we came here and watched some movies."

I stared at her blankly.

"Oh, and he officially asked me to be his girlfriend." She said grinning.

I grinned to. "Finally!"

"Yeah…" She sighed happily.

"Do you know where Vaughn ran off to? I need to talk to him."

"Why?" She asked, smirking.

"No reason. Just tell me."

"Whatever. I know I'll find out eventually anyway. As for where he went, I have no clue. Just check the usual places."

I stood up. "Okay, thanks. See you later."

"Dinner tonight?"

"Sure but I don't want to eat at the diner. I'm low on money."

"That's fine."

I left, trying to think where he would be. I decided to check the forest, since that's where I found him last time I was looking for him. I crossed the bridge and entered the forest. After a few minutes I found the place where I gave him my thanksgiving gift, but he wasn't there. I sighed sadly, sitting on the log for a moment. While I was picking a place to check next I heard some rustling in the bushes. I stood up, alarmed, and looked around.

Suddenly Vaughn appeared, coming out of some bushes. We stared at each other, speechless.

"Um… ." He said, brushing off his clothes.

"Why did you just come out of the bushes?" I asked, confused.

He cleared his throat. "Uh, well I was giving some food to these wild dogs that live in this forest."

"Wild dogs?" I exclaimed. "They didn't attack you!"

"No, they're used to me now."

"Wow…well, that's sweet of you."

"I guess… ."

We stood in an awkward silence for a long minute. I shifted on my feet, wondering what to say. I could feel myself blushing.

"So, about last night." He said, sitting on the log. I silently sat next to him, waiting for him to continue. He cleared his throat again, not looking at me directly. "Sorry."

"Sorry?" I echoed, confused.

"I shouldn't have done that without permission or… ." He didn't finish.

"Permission? You don't need permission… ." I told him. "But I do want to know why."

He looked at me, slightly blushing. "Why? Why else would I do that?

"You tell me." I said.

He grumbled to himself, and faced me once again. "Because I, erm, I have some kinda…feelings for you or something….I guess… ."

I stared at him. "You guess?"

"I mean…ugh. I don't guess. I…Argh!" He stood up, grunting. "This is stupid."

I stood up too, crossing my arms.

He looked at me, took a deep breath and said "Chelsea, just save me the trouble and go out with me?"

I gaped at him, utterly shocked. My heart rammed against my chest loudly; so loud I could hear it in my ears. Unable to speak, I just nodded, smiling.

He sighed in relief, blushing. After a moment and smiled down at me. "So I don't need permission?"

I shook my head. "No."

He leaned down and kissed me. And this time, I kissed back.

**A/N: They're finally going out :D yay for progress. I had no plans for this chapter before I wrote it, so that's why it seems so…ugh. That's my bad guys, I should have planned better. Hopefully the next chapter will be better. **

**I'm not sure when I can update again. I'll try to set aside some time to write, but I can't promise it'll be right away. So don't be surprised if it takes another few weeks to update…:(**

**Well, Please review :) We're so close to 100 reviews! I hope you guys are still reading this story.**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Guys, I am SO sorry it's taken almost **_**two months**_** to update! Being a teenager is a busy job! Dx Gosh. I hope you forgive me, and continue to read this anyway. **

The first person I would tell was, no surprise, Julia. I wasn't sure how to tell her, so I stood there beating around the bush for a while. I knew she'd be ecstatic to hear about it, but I didn't know if _I_ was ready to hear all the things she'd have to say. And more importantly, was _I _ready to accept it?

This is defiantly what I wanted, don't get me wrong. But it was just so bazaar that Vaughn made the first move and asked me out. Two days ago, I had no idea he had feelings for me, or if I was even a real friend to him. I never expected him to. But it happened. What was I suppose to do now that everything I thought was true about our relationship is totally different?

Tell Julia, apparently. She knew all the answers.

I finally decided I had enough with small talk and blurted it out.

"Vaughn asked me out."

Julia stopped in mid-sentence, mouth hanging open, and stared at me. I stared back, biting my cheek so I wouldn't smile. I knew I was blushing though.

"NO WAY!" Julia screamed, grabbing my hands. "Did he really? Are you joking or are you for real?"

"He really did." I said, trying to stay cool.

She grinned at me. "And you said?"

"I said yes, of course." I surrendered and smiled.

She squealed loudly, grabbing me in a hug. "I _told_ you, Chelsea! I told you he liked you."

"I know, shut up." I muttered. "I learned my lesson. You're usually right."

She pushed me away from the hug. "Usually?"

"Anyway," I said, turning around. "I better be going."

"Why?" She dashed in front of me. "I have to know the details!"

"What details?" I asked innocently.

"_Details_." She winked.

"There _are_ none, Julia." I laughed. "Now I really have to go. I blew off my morning chores to come tell you right away."

"Why didn't you come tell me right after it happened?" She asked, seeming hurt.

I blushed. "Erm, because it was too late by the time I got home."

"What?" She asked, her eyes sparking with interest. "What kept you so busy?"

"I was with Vaughn." I said meekly.

"Oh really?" She asked slyly."

"Got to go!" I exclaimed, escaping out the front door. She yelled after me but I ignored her and walked up to my ranch. I laughed to myself for a moment before sighing. I hope Julia wouldn't tell anyone else. If she told Natalie, I'm sure Lanna would find out. And if _she_ found out, everyone else would too. I wanted people to know, but just not right away. Maybe next week when Vaughn returned…

Now, more than ever, I wished Vaughn was here more than twice a week. I had a phone, but he didn't have the number, and I was sure he'd be too busy to talk to me over the phone anyway. Plus, I'm not good at talking over the phone. So that meant those two days he was here were the only time we'd ever get to talk or hangout. And half the time, he was working. So that's even less time.

I decided not to dwell on those depressing facts and finish up my farm work. I didn't really have anything planned for today, so I didn't have to really rush.

…..

I was brushing my last cow when my barn doors opened. I looked over my shoulder and was surprised to see Mark. He adjusted his hat before strolling over to me.

"Hey Chelsea." He said casually.

"Hey Mark." I said, almost uneasily. "What's up? Do you need something?"

"Nah, not really. Just wanted to stop by and say hi. I haven't seen you in a while."

"Sorry about that." I told him, putting away the brush in my rucksack. "I've been pretty busy lately."

"I came by your ranch yesterday but you weren't here. I feel almost lucky to have caught you today." He chuckled lightly.

I smiled at him. "It's just I've been trying to make enough money to survive the winter. It's my first one here, and without the profit of crops, I'm losing money."

"You should invest in a greenhouse." He told me. "Then you could make more money in the winters."

"A greenhouse, huh?" I tapped my cheek. "That's a good idea, but I can't afford one right now. I'll defiantly buy one when I can though."

"I'd help you out."

"What?" I exclaimed. "Oh, I don't need that. Thank you, though. But winter is almost over. I'll make it."

"If you're sure… ." He eyed me.

"I am." I smiled at him, then waved for him to follow as I left the barn. "So what's been going on with you Mark?"

"Nothing." He said. "It's been pretty boring. I heard you spent Starry Night with Vaughn."

I cleared my throat. "Yeah, I did… ."

"You know, I had hoped we could go together."

"I'm sorry." I frowned at him. "I can't make everyone happy."

"It must have been pretty dreadful having to spend it with him."

I stopped in my tracks and turned to him, fuming. "What right do you have to say that? You don't know what happened, and you never will. Why does everyone judge him?"

"Whoa, whoa. Sorry." He held up his hands in defense. " Didn't mean to upset you."

"Sorry." I said, realizing I had lost my temper. "It's just… ."

"What?"

"Nothing."

He inspected me for a moment, then frowned. "Are you dating?"

I blushed hard, and choked on my spit. "Um, I, uh. Well I-"

"So you are." He said, his face turning to stone. "I better go."

He walked off before I could respond. What was I suppose to do? Lie? This was beginning to look bad.

**A/N: Sorry this is so short and choppy. I had to write something to let you guys know I'm still here. I plan to write more over Christmas break, hopefully more than one chapter. **

**Please Review! Only 6 more until 100!**


	22. Chapter 22

The outburst with Mark confused me. Why would he be so angry about Vaughn and I dating? I kinda knew he had a little crush on me, but a little crush isn't big deal. Not a good enough reason to get so upset. I didn't understand… .

I'd decided not to tell anyone about what happened between him and I. Not even Vaughn. Especially him. It would just upset him too, and I didn't need to deal with that on top of everything else. Plus, I was sure Mark would get over it and the next time I saw him it'd be fine. He's probably forgotten about it already.

The week passed painfully slow. It was mostly uneventful, and I stayed on the down low. Nothing bad happened, and it seemed as if things were fine.

That is, until Tuesday.

I was anxiously waiting for the next day to come while going about my day. I was actually taking a walk for the first time in seasons to calm myself and clear my mind. But as I was passing Sabrina's mansion, the walk turned into a nightmare.

I was strolling down the path, slightly humming to myself, when Sabrina suddenly appeared. She marched straight up to me in a huff and jabbed a finger at me.

"You!" She hissed.

Startled, I raised my hands in defense. "W-What?"

"You took Vaughn from me!" She cried. "He was mine! He was finally starting to warm up to me and then _you_ had to come along and steal him from right under my nose. How _dare_ you?"

I stared at her in shock. Then my anger came so quickly, I didn't know what I was saying until it was too late. "Excuse me? Vaughn hardly knows you even exist! I can't steal something you never _had._ I don't know what world you're living in, but you need to come back to the real world and face the fact. The fact that Vaughn doesn't like you, and never will."

She recoiled, whether it was in shock or hurt, I wasn't sure. Her bottom lip quivered slightly and her face heated up in anger.

"You cant talk to me like that; I could do so many things to ruin your sad life! You _don't _want to test me!" She jabbed her finger at me once again. "And I am a million times more suitable for Vaughn than you are. I'm prettier, smarter, and _far_ nicer than you. He doesn't need a poor, rude farm girl in his life anymore than he needs a blow to the head! So _back off!_"

I pushed her hand away roughly. "You're _clearly_ insane. You should get that head of yours checked. You're trying to fight for a man you never had a chance to have and never will. Vaughn is _not_ interested in you. This is pointless."

She glared at me harshly. "You'll see what's pointless when I'm done with you. Vaughn will come around soon enough and realize how much of a perfect match we are and dump your sorry self in a hurry. I'll make sure of it. You just wait!"

I've never wanted to hit someone so much in my entire life. This girl was bringing up feelings I've never even knew I could feel. I balled up my fists to prevent myself from slapping her and backed away.

"Yeah, okay. You keep playing your stupid game in your fantasy world, excuse me while I go back to reality. Where _I'm_ with Vaughn and _you're_ the loner of the island."

I turned away from her and walked away. I needed to stop myself from a possible fight and more harsh words being shared. That was the first fight I've had with a girl in my life. I was never the type to purposely say things to hurt someone. I felt the guilt settle as I passed the animal shop. I couldn't believe I had said those things. But I was more shocked about Sabrina. When I first met her, she seemed so nice and quiet. Defiantly not the type to threaten anyone. And she defiantly didn't seem completely insane.

I wasn't sure what to do. I stopped walking at the entrance to my ranch and sighed. I thought about who I could tell, but everyone seemed like the wrong person. Julia would flip out, and want to do something. And let it slip to Vaughn. He couldn't know.

This was too much. We've been dating less than a week and there are already problems. I was afraid that if he found out, he'd decide it wasn't worth it and end it. It seemed possible.

Why was the world suddenly turning against me now? Why were there so many complications?

**A/N: Things are heating up! **

**So today starts off my winter break and to celebrate, I wrote this for you all :D Merry Christmas lol! I'll most likely be updating again during the break, so keep an eye out. **

**Review please!**


	23. Chapter 23

I decided not to meet Vaughn at the dock this morning. I didn't know if he'd be okay with that or not, so I slowly went about my morning chores. I thought about later. Was I suppose to seek him out? Or was he going to find me when he was done with work? That seemed more likely; when he's done with work he'd want to see me. Plus, he didn't like being bothered when he was working.

I also thought about yesterday. The thing with Sabrina had me a little bit worried. I wouldn't be surprised if she tried to sabotage my relationship with Vaughn. Actually I expected it. I don't know how she'd do it, but I know she would.

I waited until it was well past noon to venture out into town. I was nervous to see him, and I also feared running into Sabrina. As I rounded the corner to the animal shop, I spotted Vaughn walking out of it. I fought the sudden urge to bolt and continued walking. He looked up and saw me, with a slight glare in his eyes. I tried to ignore it.

"Hey." I said nervously.

"It's almost one, why am I just seeing you now?" He growled.

I was speechless for a moment before spluttering out a response. "Um, well I knew you were working a-and I didn't want to bother you."

"Chelsea, my work here takes all of two hours. I was finished by nine."

"Oh… ." I said lamely. "I didn't know."

"And…you wouldn't bother me if you saw me during work anyway. My work is boring."

I gave him a light smile. "Okay, good to know."

We stood there awkwardly for a moment.

"Let's go get lunch." Vaughn said, lightly taking my hand. I blushed and nodded as we started walking.

As we past Sabrina's mansion I held my breath. I stared at it, looking for signs of being watched. Then I realized how silly I was being and released my breath. I was just being paranoid. I couldn't let her get to me. Vaughn seemed to take notice to my odd behavior.

"What?" He asked.

"Nothing." I shrugged.

"You sure?"

I looked at him, "Yeah I'm fine."

He didn't say any more and we continued to walk in silence. When we arrived to the café the first person I saw was Mark. He stared at us as we walked in. I trailed behind Vaughn, avoiding Mark's stare. When we sat down, I noticed Vaughn's snarl and inwardly sighed. Suddenly Mark roughly pushed back his chair and slammed his hands down on the table, then stormed out of the café. The whole place was dead silent and people exchanged questioning looks. I looked at Vaughn and saw him glaring after him.

"Can you believe him?" He asked me.

"Did I miss something?" I wondered, looking behind me at the door.

Vaughn just grunted and picked up his menu. I sighed and stood up.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

"I'm going to talk to Mark."

Vaughn stood too. "I don't think so."

"Calm down, Vaughn. I'm just going to see what his problem is. And to put stop to this."

"I can do that myself."

"I'd rather him live, Vaughn." I put a hand on his shoulder. "Just wait here for me, please? I wont be long."

Vaughn slowly sank back into his seat, grunting. I smiled in thanks and exited the café. I looked around for Mark and saw him just about to go into the hotel. I called out to him and he turned. I jogged up to him.

"Mark, what just happened in there?" I asked him.

He sighed. "Nothing."

"That wasn't nothing." I argued. "Tell me what your problem is."

He looked at me with the most anguished looked I've ever seen. "Isn't it obvious, Chelsea?"

I didn't know what to say so I stood there, waiting.

He looked down at our feet. "I like you. I have feelings for you. Why did you choose that stupid, horrible cowboy over me? I'd treat you so much better. He doesn't deserve you."

I took in this information in shock. I took a nervous step back. "U-uh…well I'm sorry Mark. I'm dating Vaughn. I don't feel the same way… ."

"I'll make you." He suddenly said with determination. "I'll make you fall for me, I'll do anything."

"Mark, please… ." I begged. I didn't want this.

He suddenly reached out for me, and despite my stepping back, he took a hold of my face. He forced me closer to his face and leaned his forehead against mine, but I pushed at him.

"Mark! What the heck are you doing?"

He was obviously stronger than me, but I managed to push away enough to smack him in the face. A distant sound echoed in the air for a moment, and he recoiled, holding his face. He looked at me full of hurt. Tears brimmed my eyes, but I suddenly felt bad for hitting him. Suddenly someone grabbed a hold of my shoulder and yanked me backwards. Vaughn stepped up to Mark, snarling.

"You just made a huge mistake." He growled, raising his fist.

I jumped to grab his arm before he swung at him. "Vaughn, stop!"

He slowly lowered his arm, but continued to glare harshly. Mark backed up, glaring just as harshly at Vaughn.

"Just wait, Vaughn." Mark said before escaping in the hotel. His words scarily reminded me of Sabrina's.

Vaughn cursed loudly, and was about to follow him when I stopped him.

"Wait!" I cried. He glared at me, but when he saw the tears in my eyes his expression softened. "It didn't' happen. I stopped him."

"So he didn't kiss you…?"

"No."

"Still, he tried. God, I'm going to-"

"Vaughn, please. I don't want to talk to him anymore, so don't worry about that. I promise. Let's just go… ."

He thought for a long time, then slowly nodded. "Okay. I still don't like him. He's lucky if I don't kill him next time I see him."

"I know. Me too." I sighed loudly. "Come on… ."

He took my hand again and he walked me home. I didn't feel like eating anymore.

**A/N: This chapter has a lot going on! Tell me your opinions on it and any comments you have :) I want feedback please. **

**Please Review!**


	24. Chapter 24

Winter ended almost over night. All the snow had melted and the sun was warm. I was happy that Spring had finally come; I needed the money that crops provided. My animals were the only reason I got by this Winter. I made sure I had saved enough money to buy seeds from Chen's shop. I kinda dreaded the work to come, but I knew it had to get done.

I walked into Chen's shop once I was finished caring for my animals. He was behind the counter, writing in a notebook. He heard me come in and looked up, smiling.

"Good Morning, Chelsea." He greeted, putting down his pen. "I was expecting to see you today."

"How'd you know?" I asked jokingly, taking out my light money pouch.

"Spring is finally here. I was waiting for this, I didn't get much business in Winter." He told me.

"What types of seeds do you have for me today?" I asked him, placing my pouch on the counter.

"Turnips, potatoes, cucumbers, and strawberries." He said. "What will you have?

"Strawberries?" I asked. "That's new. I love strawberries. I'll take five turnip seeds, four potato seeds, four cucumber seeds, and six strawberry seeds."

"That'll be 3200gold." He told me.

I was a little shocked at the price, but I had enough. It left me with 200 left, but that was fine. I paid him and put all the seeds in my rucksack. I thanked Chen and left, planning to get started as soon as possible. Before I went back to my ranch though, I stopped to see Julia. I wasn't going to see much of anything today except my field, but I had to say hey to her.

"Happy New Year!" She cried as soon as I walked in. She jumped up, catching me in a hug. Startled, I hugged her back.

She released me, grinning. "You've been here for a year now! Isn't that great? _And_ you have a boyfriend."

I laughed. "I would have never guessed."

"Hey, why did you skip last night? You missed a lot of fun." She told me.

"Last night?" I asked, confused. "What was last night?"

"What?" She exclaimed. "You forgot! Our New Year's Eve get-together?"

I gasped. "Aw darn it! I completely forgot! I was so busy clearing my field yesterday to get ready for my Spring crops."

"Don't forget again!" She scolded. "That day is important. You wouldn't forget Vaughn's birthday would you? It's just like that."

I stared at her, open-mouthed. She stared back, and realization sparked in her eyes.

"Oh my Gosh, you don't know when his birthday is do you?"

"He never told me!" I defended.

"Chelsea, it's in two days! The third!"

"Oh no… ." I groaned. "What should I do for him? I have no idea; I've never had a boyfriend before."

She shook her head. "You poor, poor soul."

"Julia! Help me!"

"I will, I just need time to think. I'll get back to you. Come back later tonight and we'll plan something together."

"Okay." I nodded, and patted my rucksack. "I need to get to work. It'll take hours to plant all these seeds."

"Don't forget to come!" She called after me.

I rushed to my farm and started. As I worked, my mind raced. Why didn't Vaughn tell me his birthday was so close? But now that I think about it, he doesn't know when mine is. It's also this season, but that wasn't important right now. I hoped Julia and I could get something planned in such short notice. A thought crossed my mind, that maybe he didn't like celebrating his birthday, but I ignored it. As true as that may be, he'd just have to get over it. I'd make sure he'd have fun no matter what.

…

When I finally finished, I was drenched in sweat and covered in dirt. The sun was low, and a slight chill was in the air. I was pretty sure I got some sunburn on my face, but I shrugged that off. I had planted half of my seeds and saved the rest for later in the season. I was exhausted and starving. I dragged myself home and into my bathroom. I looked at myself in the mirror and laughed. There was dirt smeared across my face and forehead. It was slightly red and sweaty still. My hair was a disaster. It was frizzy and all over the place. I took off my bandana and the hair around my forehead was damp with sweat. I looked disgusting. I was glad Vaughn, or anyone else, hadn't seen me like this.

I cleaned myself up and showered. I needed to meet Julia soon since it was getting dark. I dressed and tied my bandana over my wet hair. I decided to leave my rucksack home since I wasn't going to be needing anything in it. I left my house, leaving a light on inside, and locked the door. I stopped, smiling slightly at the memory that flashed in my mind. Starry Night. Vaughn had broke the lock on my door that night, thinking I was in trouble or hurt. He promised to have it fixed, and he did. A few days later Gannon showed up, saying he was told I needed some help with it.

I shook the memory away, remembering I had somewhere to go. I walked to the animal shop, taking my time. It wasn't that late yet, only about eight. When I arrived, I was surprised to see Natalie and Denny there too, sitting at the counter. Natalie saw me and waved me over.

"Hey stranger!" She said when I sat down. "What's your name again? I don't remember."

"Haha, very funny." I said smiling. "Sorry I haven't been able to hang out lately. "I've been busy."

"Busy having a boyfriend! Why didn't you tell me?"

Denny smirked at me knowingly. I sighed, "I wanted to tell everyone one at a time. But now the whole town knows."

I glanced at Julia, who was standing behind the counter. She leaned on her elbows and shook her head. "I didn't say a word. I don't know how everyone knows already."

"I do… ."I mumbled.

"How?" Denny asked. "Lanna told me."

"Mark found out. He probably told Lanna or something, and it got around."

"Uh oh. Mark found out." Julia said. "He must be jealous."

"Yeah, he is." I said. "But I don't want to talk about him right now. I came here for Vaughn's birthday."

"Right!" Julia straightened up and smiled. "I invited Natalie and Denny here to help. I have an idea."

"We want to throw a surprise party!" Natalie exclaimed.

Julia glared at her. "Nat! I wanted to say it. It was my idea."

"Don't be a baby." Natalie teased.

"Fine." Julia rolled her eyes. "Anyway, we're inviting only a few people since Vaughn isn't good with crowds."

"That's a great idea." I told them. "I don't think he'll expect it either."

"Not at all." Denny agreed. "He'll defiantly be surprised."

"You'll be his distraction." Julia told me. "You make sure he stays away from the animal shop once he's done with work until six."

"Yeah, and don't give it away." Natalie pointed at me. "If he wants to come here, don't act all nervous! Be casual about it and suggest something else."

"And," Julia said, "act like you don't know its his birthday! Make him think you don't know."

"Really?" I asked sadly.

"You can do it." Denny told me cheerfully.

"Who is coming?" I asked. I hoped they didn't say Sabrina or Mark. That would ruin everything.

"My family," Natalie said, "and us basically."

"If we invited too many people he'd bolt." Julia said sighing. "We'll be lucky if he stays."

"Oh, he'll stay." Natalie said smirking. "He won't leave if Chelsea is there."

I blushed slightly. "Shut it."

"Oh, and Pierre is coming." She told us. "Because…he will make the cake."

"We all know he's coming because you guys are a thing." Julia said teasingly.

It was Natalie's turn to blush. She huffed and stood up. "I'll be going now."

"Aw come on Nat." Julia laughed. "It's okay to date him. Even if he _does_ look twelve."

"Well at least I'm not dating some weak, nerdy kid." She grunted.

"Hey, guys." I interjected, trying to avoid an argument. "_I'm_ dating a anti-social _cowboy_. Let's just say we all have a strange taste in men."

They both paused for a minute, then burst into laughter.

"You're so right!" Julia cried, wiping her eyes.

Natalie nodded, laughing. She tried to say something but she couldn't form her words correctly. I laughed too. Denny chuckled along with us.

Once we calmed down we all sighed in unison.

"It's getting late." Denny told us. "I'll see you guys later."

"Yeah I better get going too." Natalie said. "Grandpa will lecture me if I don't get back soon."

They both left after exchanging goodbyes. I turned to face Julia, yawning.

"You look tired." She told me.

"Farming is hard work." I replied.

"I bet. Go home and get some rest." She told me. "We'll talk more about the party tomorrow."

"Alright." I said getting up. "Thanks for helping me."

"Anytime, Chels. Good night."

"Night." I said as I left.

As I walked home I felt happy. Right now, neither Sabrina or Mark were bothering me. I couldn't wait until Wednesday to come so I could surprise Vaughn. I hoped he like our idea too. If he didn't, I'd feel bad. But I had a feeling he would.

**A/N: Yay a fast update (kinda). Not much to say about this chapter, other than I hope you liked it. Thank you for reading! **

**I want to thank all my reviewers. I'm sorry I don't reply to your reviews, but just know I love everyone I get and I'm super thankful. **

**Review :)**


	25. Chapter 25

The first thing on my mind when I woke up was Vaughn. It was Wednesday, his birthday. He was here on the island now, probably working, and I would see him in a matter of hours.

And I couldn't even wish him a happy birthday.

I was upset Julia and Natalie had made me promise not to let him know I knew about it. It would kill me inside, but I was pretty sure I could do it.

The party was all planned out. I'd make sure we'd go to the animal shop at six, and everyone would surprise him. I hoped he wouldn't get mad, or embarrassed about it, but I was excited to see the look on his face.

I wanted to get him a great gift, but I hardly had enough money to support myself at the moment. So I spent hours last night making him a huge bowl of porridge. It took me forever to get it to taste good, or even _have_ a taste. It may be a little sweeter than he's used to, but oh well. Hopefully he wouldn't notice.

Vaughn and I haven't been dating long at all. Only ten days. That seemed insane to me, considering I've seen him a couple of times, and all the things that have happened since then. It seemed like we've been dating for much longer.

By the time eleven rolled around, I was finished with my work and cleaning myself up at home. As I was brushing my hair, I heard a knock at my door. I decided it must be Julia before I opened it, but I was surprised to see Vaughn instead.

"What?" He asked, soundly slightly irritated.

"I-I'm just surprised." I told him, stepping back so he could come in. "I wasn't expecting you."

"Do you want me to leave?"

"No! Of course not." I sighed. "I'm glad to see you… ."

He smiled slightly and walked inside. I closed the door behind him and turned to face him. He was looking around my house casually, waiting for me to do something. I looked over at my kitchen and saw the bowl of porridge on the counter, with a big, noticeable red bow on it. I stifled a gasp.

"So," I said loudly, so he'd look at me instead of around my house. "What do you want to do today?"

"I don't know." He shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets. "Maybe we could have lunch at the shop."

"No!" I said too quickly. He raised an eyebrow at me. "I-I mean…It's such a nice day. We could…have a picnic."

He stared at me. "A picnic?"

"Sure. I could just make some sandwiches really quick and we can sit on the beach or something."

"Well…alright."

I realized I needed to go to the kitchen to make them, and he'd end up seeing the bowl. I quickly thought of an excuse for him to leave.

"Hey, can you go check on Coco?" I asked before he moved. "She's been acting kinda funny lately."

Concern immediately flashed in his eyes. "How?"

"She…just has. I'm not sure what it is."

"Alright, I'll go check her out." He slid past me and out my door in a matter of seconds.

I dashed to my kitchen, grabbed the bowl, and stuffed it in the fridge. While it was open, I grabbed the strawberry jam and got started making some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. It wasn't anything fancy, but it'd have to do. As I was finishing the last one, Vaughn returned.

"She seemed fine to me." He told me, coming over to me.

"Oh, really? Good. Maybe it was just me." I pretended to sigh in relief.

He glanced behind me at the sandwiches. "Peanut butter and jelly…?"

"Is that okay?" I asked, worried. "I can make something else if-"

"It's fine." He chuckled. He suddenly wrapped me in a hug and rested his chin on the top of my head. I was taken aback, and it took me a second to hug him back.

"What's this for?" I asked, smiling.

He let go and looked away from me, blushing. He coughed into his fist. "I just…missed you."

My smile grew. "I missed you too, Vaughn."

He shifted on his feet. "Well, are we going to have a picnic or not?"

"Right." I said. I handed him the sandwiches and told him where to find a basket to put them in. While he was preoccupied, I grabbed two water bottles out of the fridge.

Once the basket was ready we left my house, hand in hand, and headed towards the beach.

…..

I tried to be casual every time I checked my watch, but I think Vaughn noticed after a while. It was five in the after noon now, and I had managed to keep Vaughn away from the shop and clueless about the party so far. We had our picnic, took a walk on the mountain, and visited my all my livestock (where he gave me tips on how to raise them better). I could tell he was getting bored of walking all over the place and wanted to go back to the shop. I was pretending to inspect my crops and he was standing nearby quietly. I snuck another look at my watch. Five fifteen.

"Do you have someplace to be or something?" He finally asked.

I spun around to face him. "N-no, why?"

"Don't act innocent." He grunted. "You've been looking at the time all day. Are you that anxious to get away from me?"

I frowned. "Not at all, don't be like that."

"Then what?"

I shrugged. "I dunno. Force of habit I guess… ."

He eyed me suspiciously. "Right."

I glanced down at my crops and noticed they needed to be re-watered. I took off my rucksack and pulled out my watering can.

Vaughn groaned. "Chelsea… ."

"What?" I asked innocently. "They need to be watered again. See how the leaves are sagging down a little and-"

"Okay, okay." He interrupted. "Fine."

"Would you rather do it?" I asked jokingly.

"No, thanks." He grunted.

"You sure? It's pretty easy. Anyone could do it."

"But you're the farmer here."

I held out the watering can to him. "Go on. Try it."

"I said no."

"Please?" I gave him a pout-y look. "Just once."

He glared at me for a moment, then grabbed the watering can from me. He walked over the my turnips and dipped the watering can over one. He sighed loudly.

"Chelsea, there isn't any water in this can."

"There isn't? Oh, sorry. Well, go fill it up." I pointed west of my field towards the water.

"Why do I have to do it? You asked me to water a crop, not this."

"It's part of the job." I laughed. "I do it everyday, so can you."

He grunted and started walking away to fill it up. I smiled to myself. This was a way to kill time until it got closer to six. I looked at my watch. Five thirty. Only thirty more minutes to go. I watched him as he bent down to fill up the can. As he stood back up, the can slipped from his grasp and fell to the ground. I could here him complain loudly even from where I was standing. I laughed to myself as he picked it back up and refilled it again. He marched back over to where I was. I was still chuckling when he reached me.

"It wasn't funny." He glared.

"It kinda was. Who knew refilling a water can could be so difficult?"

He just shook his head at me, smirking slightly. He went over to my patch of turnips again and watered one.

"Happy now?" He asked.

"Nah. Do the rest." I told him.

"What?" He cried. "You said one, and I watered one."

"But you're already over there." I pointed out.

He clenched his jaw for second. Then he smiled and walked over to me.

"Vaughn," I started, but he interrupted me by suddenly scooping me up in his arms. I yelped as he carried me over to the patch of turnips and set me down. I looked at him, shocked. "Vaughn!"

"Oh, look." He said, pretending to sound surprised. "Now you're over here."

I laughed. "Not fair."

I took the watering can from him and slowly watered every single turnip. Then I watered everything else at the same pace. I could tell he was growing impatient. When he wasn't looking, I checked my watch. Five fifty five.

"Okay, let's go have dinner now. All that work made me hungry." I told him, putting the watering can away. We started to leave my ranch.

"Diner?" He asked.

"N-no, how about we have dinner with Mirabelle and Julia?" I suggested. "Julia invited me last night, and I said I'd be there."

He groaned. "Alright, fine."

We walked in silence, and with every step I grew more and more nervous. I avoided eye contact with him so he wouldn't notice. As we approached the shop, my heart was hammering into my rib cage. I glanced at him, and he seemed perfectly fine. I noticed the shop was dark and quiet, but he didn't seem to realize this. I opened the door and stepped into the dark room. Behind me I heard Vaughn make a confused noise. I turned around just in time as the lights flashed on.

"Surprise!" Multiple voices screamed.

I watched Vaughn's face as it formed various emotions. Shock, confusing, anger, sadness, but most of all, happiness.

**A/N: Sorry it's been so long, guys. I hope this was worth the wait! The next chapter should be good, so stay tuned :) **

**Review! I didn't get that many on the last chapter, which made me a little disappointed. ****But oh well.**


	26. Chapter 26

Vaughn looked at me with a blush creeping up onto his cheeks. He started to say something, but everyone crowded around him before he could and pulled him inside.

"What is this?" He asked, trying to sound mean. But I could tell he didn't mean it.

"Your surprise birthday party!" Julia exclaimed, grinning. She grabbed onto his arms and spun him around once. "Happy birthday! Are you surprised?"

He steadied himself, scowling. "Yeah, I am."

"Good! That means Chelsea did a great job." Julia looked at me and winked.

I shrunk a little as Vaughn looked at me, almost disapprovingly. Suddenly I felt bad, and wondered if I did the right thing. But then he chuckled a little and shook his head.

"Yeah, she did very well." He said.

Denny stepped towards him and clapped him on the back. "Hey man! So how old are you today anyway? I don't think I even know your age!"

My eyes widened as I realized I didn't know either. Gosh, I was a terrible girlfriend.

"Twenty-three." Vaughn said with distaste.

"Oh, don't sound so down honey." Mirabelle told him. "You're still very young."

"That's right, my boy!" Taro added. "Wait until you're my age! Then you'll wish you were as young as you are now. Why, I remind my grandkids every day how important it is to live everyday to the fullest and to be-"

"Dad, please. Vaughn doesn't want to hear that tonight." Felicia said politely.

"Let's bust out the cake!" Natalie said, grabbing Pierre's hand in excitement. I remembered her telling me he'd make it and wondered what he made. Mirabelle lead Vaughn to a table that had been set out in the middle of the room. On it were a few gifts and a plastic cake container.

"It's your favorite, Vaughie!" Julia told him. He glared at the nickname.

"And what would that be?" He asked.

"Carrot cake!" She laughed.

Vaughn's face transformed into utter horror. "W-what! How could you-"

"Relax! I was joking!" She said, and opened the container to reveal a simple vanilla cake. At first, I was disappointed at the plainness, but then I saw that the icing created a design of a cowboy hat with his name inscribed in it. The cake was framed by a series of simple swirls of frosting. I gave Pierre a thumbs-up and he nodded in return.

"Oh," Vaughn said, studying the cake. "Good."

"That was cruel." Mirabelle told Julia, playfully nudging her. She picked up a large cake knife off the table and looked to Vaughn. "You would like to cut it or would you like me to?"

"You can." Vaughn said.

"Yeah, he's mess it up." Julia said.

"Oh, give him a break." Natalie laughed. "It's his birthday! Even I'm nice to Elliot on his birthday. Isn't that right?" She looked at her brother. He didn't look so sure.

"Nice?" He asked. "Since when?"

"Oh, whatever." Natalie shrugged. "He just doesn't realize it."

"Uh huh."

"Here you are, Vaughn." Mirabelle handed him a large slice of the cake. He nodded in thanks.

Julia grabbed my arm and pulled me over to the counter. "He was so surprised, wasn't he? I loved the look on his face when he walked in."

I nodded. "Yeah, he didn't expect a thing."

"You did great. How did you keep him occupied all day?"

"A picnic, some walks, and some hard labor." I laughed.

She laughed too. "I won't even ask. But do you think he likes it?"

I looked over at him. He was surrounded by everyone, looking a little uncomfortable. But there was a slight smile on his lips anyway. Natalie grabbed him suddenly and said something, causing him to laugh. I could hear it from where I was standing.

I smiled. "Yeah, actually. I think he does."

She glanced over. "Good! I'm so glad he didn't get mad."

"Me too." I said, meaning it. "I don't know what I'd do if he did."

"We'll open gifts soon, do you have yours?"

I gasped. "Crap, it's still at home. I couldn't really carry it around with me all day."

"That's okay, just run home and grab it. He probably won't even notice; he's got everyone's attention tonight."

"Okay, I'll be right back then."

I made sure Vaughn wasn't looking and slipped outside. It was still light outside, but it was slowly getting darker. I wanted to run to my house, but I decided against it. I didn't want to be all tired and sweaty when I got back. I knew it'd take me about ten minutes in all to return, and I hoped that I wouldn't miss anything important.

When I got to my house I tested to see if the porridge still tasted okay. I thought it did, it was just a little cold from being inside the fridge all day. I put it on my table and went to the bathroom really quick to make sure I looked alright. After brushing my hair and dropping my rucksack on my bed, I headed back to the animal shop.

As I was rounding the corner, I started to get a little self-conscious. What if someone else got him something better? I knew my gift wasn't the best one out there. I tried to shake off the feelings. I balanced the bowl in one hand and opened the door to the animal shop. I almost dropped the bowl when I saw what was inside.

Sabrina was standing there with Vaughn, holding a huge blue bowl. They both turned to look at me. Vaughn looked surprised and Sabrina grinned at me evilly. She then pretended she didn't see me and turned to Vaughn again. She suddenly became shy and innocent again.

"A-anyway…since it's your birthday I made you some porridge…you like that don't you? Someone told me you did… ." She shyly glanced up at him over her round glasses.

She made him porridge? Anger rose inside me. She did this on purpose. Julia, noticing my glare, came up to me. She put a hand on my shoulder, trying to be supportive.

"Uh…" Vaughn cleared his throat. "I guess so…but it seems kind of _bland_, don't you think?"

Sabrina recoiled a little. I realized he used my words from so long ago, when we had dinner together.

"B-but…I thought it was your favorite." Sabrina mumbled.

"I guess I'll take it anyway, since you went through so much trouble." Vaughn took the bowl from her. Sabrina's eyes lighten up, as if she thought she was making progress.

"W-would you mind if I stayed for a little bit…?" She asked. "I'd like to celebrate your birthday with you… ."

"Actually," Julia spoke up from next to me. "We're about to wrap up here. So there's really no point in staying."

I noticed Mirabelle's eyes widen in shock at her daughters rudeness. She was about to speak up when Natalie nudged her and whispered something. Sabrina's eyes flashed with anger at us for a moment.

"O-oh, is that so?" She said meekly. "T-then I guess I should be g-going…sorry to interrupt."

She looked at Vaughn sadly, hoping he'd speak up. But he remained still and held a blank face.

"Happy birthday, Vaughn." She told him, touching his arm. Then she turned and headed towards me. I stepped to the side so she could pass me and resisted the childish urge to trip her.

But as she passed, she deliberately bumped into me with enough force to cause me to drop my bowl of porridge. It crashed to the ground, shattering. The porridge was all over the floor and my shoes.

"Oh my!" She cried, pretending to sound surprised. "You must watch where you're going, Chelsea."

She glared at me before leaving.

"Chels!" Julia said. "Are you okay? Move back, you're standing in the glass."

"Oooh!" Natalie cried. "She so did that on purpose! I'll hit her so hard that she'll-"

"Nat." Felicia warned.

Everyone started talking at once. But the only thing I could process was my anger, and my utter sadness. Vaughn's gift was ruined.

"Chelsea, your legs are bleeding. Step back from the glass." Vaughn's voice cut through the others. I looked up at him, but his face was blurred by my tears. He gently pulled me back, and Mirabelle and Felicia got started on cleaning up the mess.

"Sorry, Mirabelle." My voice cracked.

"No, no honey it's fine. It wasn't your fault." She shook her head, and mumbled, "I'll have to have a good talk with that girls father… ."

Julia appeared next to me. "Oh, Chelsea. I'm so sorry. That little…ugh. I knew she was bad news the moment she walked in. Are you okay? Your legs are bleeding you know. Let's get them cleaned up."

She bent down and took off my shoes and socks of first before leading me over to the couch. Vaughn trailed behind us, looking angry. I sat down and Julia and Natalie started cleaning up my legs. Vaughn sat as close as he could next to me without getting in the way of the girls.

I looked at him, trying to swallow a sob that was forming. "I'm sorry Vaughn. Your gift… ."

He sighed and took my hand in his. "That doesn't matter right now, Chelsea."

I began to cry. "Your party is ruined… .It's all her fault!"

Julia stopped what she was doing and sat down on the other side of me. "It doesn't have to be ruined, we still have time before it gets too late. We can still have fun. Don't let _her _ruin this party. Don't let her get what she wants."

Vaughn didn't say anything, but he squeezed my hand. Slowly, I nodded.

"Okay… ."

When Julia and Natalie finished with my legs, I looked down at them to seem them covered in band-aids. I didn't think that was necessary, but I ignored it and turned my attention to Vaughn.

"Sorry." He said.

"What are you sorry for?" I said, feeling the lump in my throat return. Gosh, I hated crying. Once I started it was hard for me to stop.

"I don't know." He mumbled. "Just am."

"W-well, I'm sorry this happened. I promise I'll make you a new bowl of porridge."

He chuckled lightly. "You don't have to."

"I can't believe she made you porridge…I knew she'd try to… ." I trailed off. I didn't want him to know about the fight I had with her. It'd just complicate things more.

"What?" He asked.

"Nothing, never mind." I said, standing.

"No, tell me. What? Am I missing something?" He grabbed my hand again.

"N-no." I stuttered.

"Chelsea." He warned. I sighed.

"Okay, fine. Sabrina and I had a fight."

"A _fight_?" He asked. "What kind of fight?"

"Just a fight. Non-physical. She's lucky it wasn't… ."

"What about?"

I looked down at my bare feet. They were slightly pink.

"What about?" He asked again, more intensely.

I sighed. "You."

He was taken aback. "_Me_? Please explain."

I sat back down on the couch and told him everything I remembered about the fight. I tried to tell him exact words. Afterwards, he grunted.

"She _is_ insane. I would never leave you for her."

I smiled at him. "Thanks."

He blushed a little. "Don't worry about what happened tonight. Let's just forget about it, and get back to the party. Which, by the way, isn't that bad. I usually hate parties."

"I was afraid you would hate it." I admitted.

"Well, I don't. This is the best birthday I've ever had."

I smiled again. "Really?"

"Yes." He leaned in and kissed me briefly. I blushed, and felt a million times better. Sabrina couldn't ruin this night for me. No one could.

**A/N: I hope you all enjoy this! And I hope the wait wasn't too long. I want to say thanks to all the sudden attention I've gotten after my last chapter. It seems like more people are reading and reviewing now, and that makes me so happy! And motivated! So keep it coming guys :) By the way, I've been reading over my old chapters, and I realized I have a lot of mistakes in them! Typos and spelling errors. Even punctuation! I'm so ashamed! I try to read over a chapter before posting, but I get so lazy...So my point is, please excuse them! And I apologize for them and any that are in this chapter. (I would fix them, but I can't figure out how to edit an already published chapter.) If you read all of that, thank you, and you deserve a prize lol.  
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**Please Review if you read this story! I love any kind of review, anonymous, critical, anything. **


	27. Chapter 27

The next morning I woke up with the feeling of happiness. I felt oddly content and at peace. I stretched and recollected my memories of last night. I frowned at the one about Sabrina, but pushed it to the back of my mind. I didn't need to worry over that now. Her little games wouldn't effect me anymore.

After the event with her, the party slowly got back on track. Soon enough, everyone basically forgot about what happened and had a blast. Even Vaughn. I laughed, remembering how Julia got him to dance with her. The party actually lasted longer than planned, ending around eleven. Vaughn walked me home and I went straight to bed.

I forced myself to rise and begin my morning duties. I tried my best to finish my chores before ten, but I really finished around eleven. I leaned against the shipping bin and caught my breath. As I wondered about what else I would be doing today, I saw Vaughn in the distance. I stood straighter and waited for him to get closer. When he did, I hugged him.

"Good morning, birthday boy!"

"It's not my birthday anymore." He grumbled, but accepted my hug anyway.

I released him, grinning. "So did you have fun?"

"You know the answer to that." He said.

"Hmm? Could you remind me? I've seemed to forgotten." I mused.

He rolled his eyes, but I could see a smile playing on his lips. "Yes, Chelsea. I did."

I smiled happily. "So what are we doing today?"

He suddenly looked upset. "Uh, about that… ."

My smile dropped. "What..?"

"My boss called, and I have to leave early." He told me.

"Oh." My heart dropped. "How early?"

"Noon."

It sank even more. "That's only an hour."

"And I wont be coming next week."

"What?" I cried. "Why? Why not?"

He sighed. "My boss needs my help with some work in the city. I need to fill in for someone."

"This isn't fair… ." I pouted.

"I know. I'm sorry." He took my hand in effort to comfort me.

It was silent between us for a few moments. I stared at his boots, thinking about next week.

"I could…I could call you though." He suggested.

I looked up at him. "You could? I mean, you would?"

"Yeah, if you'd like that… ."

"I would!" I said a little too excitedly.

He smirked. "Alright then. I will."

"When would you? Which night?"

"Both, I guess. Sometime after eight."

"Okay." I said. "It's a promise then."

"Yeah, it is."

I looked at my watch. It was almost eleven thirty. "Well…I guess I'll walk you to the beach. We can wait for the ship together."

We walked through town together and I couldn't help but notice that no one was around. No one was outside like they usually were. I wondered about why that could be until my feet hit the sand. My thoughts were immediately redirected to Vaughn.

After sitting down in the sand and sitting for a few minutes in a comfortable silence, Vaughn suddenly grabbed my chin and planted a kiss on me.

A little shocked I asked, "What was that for?"

"Just cause." He said, blushing and looking away.

I blushed. Then after a moment I said, "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you, too." He said softly. "And that's new for me. I usually don't…miss anyone."

"Really?" I asked.

"Mhm. No one to miss."

"Your dad…?" I trailed off.

He shook his head. He didn't need to explain.

I sighed. "Well I miss a lot of people. I miss my parents. I might go visit them soon."

"How soon?" He asked.

"I don't know. Maybe really soon."

He didn't reply.

"Maybe you could come with me." I said casually. "You could meet them. I'm sure they'd love to meet you."

He became alarmed. "W-what? Oh, no. No, I couldn't do that."

"Why not?"

"Because…I wouldn't know how to act or what to say. I just…I don't think I can."

"I think you'd do fine." I told him.

He grunted.

"Think about it then?" I asked. "For me?"

He thought for a moment. "Okay, fine. Maybe."

I was about to say something else when I noticed a ship in the distance. I frowned, knowing he'd be leaving soon.

We stood up and brushed the sand off ourselves, and waited for the ship to dock. When it did, I turned to face Vaughn, frowning.

He didn't look too happy either. "I'll call."

"I'll answer."

He gave me a quick kiss goodbye. I watched as he boarded the ship and disappeared. I sighed, and decided to go see Julia since there was nothing left for me on the beach.

As I walked back, there still was no one in sight. I started to become concerned. What if something had happened?

I entered the shop, but no one was around. That was defiantly odd. Mirabelle should at least be at the counter. I called out, but no one replied. I decided to go next door to Taro's house to see if anyone was there.

I knocked on the door and waited for an answer. After a moment, Natalie answered. She gasped when she saw me and pulled me inside.

"Oh good! Chelsea's here!"

She dragged me into the kitchen where I found Mirabelle, Julia, and Nat's family standing around.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Grandpa say's there will be a real bad storm tomorrow." Natalie tells me.

"How bad?"

"Hurricane bad."

I gasped slightly and frowned. "I've never been in a storm like that before."

"Oh, they've been here before." Taro says. "We should be fine if we prepare for it right."

I sudden thought occurred to me. "What about ship's? The one that just left… ."

"He'll be fine." Julia told me. "They'll dock before it hits and he'll be safe and sound at home."

I sighed in relief. "And my animals? Will they be alright?"

"They should be just fine." Mirabelle said. "Just put extra food in their feeders so they can eat tomorrow. You won't be able to leave your home to do it yourself."

"Oh." I said sadly. I wasn't looking forward to staying home all day tomorrow. What would I do?

"You could stay with us, if you wanted." Julia suggested.

I thought about the idea, and was about to agree when I thought better of it. I could use the time to clean my house. It was getting kind of messy since I've been so busy.

"No, I'll be okay." I said, smiling. "It'll be a new experience for me, I guess."

"If you say so." Julia said. "But the offer is still there, if you change your mind."

"Thanks." I say. "Well, I better go prepare."

"Good!" Taro says. "We all should do that now. Go on! Scat!"

Everyone exits his house in a hurry. Natalie and Julia wish me good luck and I jog up the path to my ranch. I wish them the same and go to get started preparing.

**A/N: Hey everyone! It's been a while, I know. Sorry. But here you go! It isn't much, but there's a lot planned for next chapter, so get ready! Hope you like it!**

**Review please!**


	28. Chapter 28

My eyes flew open when I heard a huge crashing sound. I sat up in bed and looked around. The small lamp on my nightstand was off, meaning the power was out. The only light came from the flashes of lightning. I brought my legs up and hugged them tightly, trying to steady my breathing. I've never experience a storm like this before. I thought about my animals, and hoped they'd be okay. They were probably more freaked out than I was. I checked the time and saw it was almost four in the morning. I guessed that the storm was just starting and sighed. I didn't see myself getting much more sleep until it ended.

I was just about to get up when I heard another crashing sound, this time louder. Suddenly, before I could do anything, multiple things started happening. My house shook violently as something struck it. I barely had time to look up to see something crashing through my ceiling. In a split second, the lightning revealed it to be a tree and the next thing I knew I was surrounded. A branch whipped me across the face and smaller sticks and leaves scratched at my arms and legs. I cried out as I was flattened against my bed by the weight of the branches. I couldn't see, but I could feel the rain soaking my clothes and stinging my cuts. I was too shocked and confused to register what just happened. I couldn't process anything in my head correctly.

A second later, the branches stopped scrapping me and the loud crashing noises reduced into creaking sounds. I choked on my sobs and the rain that relentlessly poured down. I couldn't control my body as it shook and my chest heaved in shaky breaths. I took a few deep breaths and began to painfully wiggle my way out from under the branches. I learned the hard way that my wrist was hurt badly and was possibly broken. I also found out that my body was covered in cuts and scrapes, some worse than others. Some branches had literally stabbed me.

What seemed to be an eternity later, I was finally free from the mess of branches. I gritted my teeth and examined the damage done to my house. The tree made a huge gaping hole in my roof and destroyed everything it came into contact with. I couldn't take it. I needed to get out of here.

I looked for a way out but the only option I saw was to climb over the tree and debris of my home to what remains of my front door. I carefully started to climb over the branches and made it to the trunk of the tree without hurting myself too much. As I steadied myself on the trunk, I fought to hold back my tears. I went to step down onto a lower branch, but the rain made everything so slippery and I fell. I crashed down on my floor, below the branches again.

I wanted to give up and just lie there, but I knew I couldn't. I had to get out and find help. I rose to my feet again, grasping at branches to keep my balance with my good hand. I somehow managed to get to the front door without falling again.

I pushed at the already broken door until it collapsed to the ground. I stumbled away from what used to be my house, trying to get as far away as possible. I couldn't believe this was happening. I made it to the shipping bin and leaned against it, looking across my field where my animals were staying. I had to squint really hard to see through the heavy rain, but the buildings seemed to be fine.

I slowly made my way to the animal shop, the only place I could think to go. When I finally made it there, my vision was spotted and my head swam. I stumbled and slammed into the door. I hit at the door desperately, sobbing. It was loud, and I doubt I could be heard over the wind and thunder. I cried out for help, but I could barely hear myself as thunder boomed loudly. I slid down the door after a minute of continuous knocking. My body felt numb and I could barely see anymore. The world spun around me. Suddenly the door disappeared and I fell backwards onto my back.

"Chelsea!" I heard someone cry. "Oh my God!"

I tried to say something, but my vision went black.

**A/N: Sorry to leave you hanging here, but I have to! It'd feel just weird to keep going in this chapter. Cliff hangers, gotta love em. :) sorry if this chapter seems rushed and choppy…because it was rushed and chopped lol. I had to finish pretty quickly. So ignore the mistakes, because I'm sure there are some that I'm too lazy to fix.  
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**Anyway, please review! And, forgive me for the delay. **


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: Sorry for the delay everyone. School has really been killing me. **

"Chelsea?"

"…Chelsea? Please wake up."

My eyes fluttered open and I found Julia hovering over my body with a very concerned look on her face.

"Oh, thank God! Chelsea!" Julia cried, leaning back a little. "I was so worried, I thought you were in a coma or something."

I blinked a few times, confused. I looked past her at the ceiling, trying to figure out what was going on, but I felt myself zone out.

"Chelsea?" Julia asked. I focused on her face again. "Oh, you look terrible. Mom called for a doctor, he should be here really soon."

I stared at her. A doctor? I started to move but Julia stopped me.

"No! Don't move. Just rest here."

I relaxed again, exhaling.

"Please, say something." Julia said anxiously. "You remember me right?"

I couldn't bring myself to form any words in my mind, but I gave her a slight nod. The movement caused my head to loll around. The room spun for a moment before returning to normal. I blinked a few times again. Black dots spotted my vision.

"Mom!" Julia called in a worried voice.

A few moments later I saw Mirabelle come in. Her and Julia began talking, but I couldn't focus on their conversation, so I zoned them out and tried to figure out what was happening. I realized I was in Julia's room and that my clothes were damp. I shifted my body slightly and pains ran up through my whole body. I gasped slightly. The worst of the pain came from my left hand. Suddenly the events of last night flooded into my mind, causing the black dots to reappear. Once the initial confusion and shock disappeared, I sighed.

"Chelsea?" Mirabelle appeared in my line of vision. "Are you alright? How are you feeling?"

I tried to speak but all that came out was a ragged croak. I winced as my throat stung and tightened.

"Can you not talk?" Julia asked. I shook my head.

There was a loud knock at the front door and Mirabelle turned away from me.

"That must be him!" She said, and rushed out. I looked to Julia to find her holding back tears.

"It'll be okay." She promised, gently resting her hand on my arm. "You'll be okay."

I felt anxious. I had no idea how bad of a condition I was in. The only thing I knew was that I was in pain and couldn't think straight.

Mirabelle and a tall man with black hair entered the room. The man approached me and gave me a look over. He was wearing a white trench coat and carried a briefcase.

"Hello, Chelsea." He greeted. "My name is Dr. Trent."

I nodded since I couldn't reply in any other way. He glanced at Julia.

"Tell me again what happened." He told her. "Slower this time."

Julia cleared her throat and wiped away a few stray tears. "Well…I was sleeping and I heard some noises that didn't really sound like the storm. So I got up and went into the living room and see what was going on. Then I could hear clearly that someone was pounding at the door and screaming. And it was Chelsea…She went unconscious when I opened the door."

"That's all you know?" Dr. Trent seemed displeased. "Do you know what happened to her?"

Julia shook her head, looking guilty. "N-no. I couldn't go out in the storm, and Chelsea wasn't awake. And now she can't talk."

Dr. Trent looked back to me, tapping his chin. "Go to where she lives, maybe something happened there. Is that correct, miss?"

I nodded urgently, frowning.

Julia bolted out the door. The front door slammed, causing Mirabelle to start and mutter to herself. Dr. Trent began looking me over and asking questions like "Does this hurt?" or if I was experiencing any internal pain. He started applying some sort of cream on random places of my body. When he touched my cheek I winced and cried out. My throat felt like it was ripping when I did.

"Sorry," Dr. Trent said tenderly. "You have quite a cut here. It's the worst out of them all."

I nodded. I had so many questions about my condition. Was it bad? Would I scar? Was my wrist broken? Bur for some reason, Dr. Trent didn't explain anything to me. He looked very concerned though.

That made me nervous.

We heard the front door fly open and slam again. Julia brust through the door, looking terrified.

"Oh! Chelsea your…oh my gosh, I can't believe you're alive…I-her…Chelsea…-" She was out of breathe and talking way to fast.

"Julia!" Mirabelle stopped her. "Please, calm down. What is it? What happened?"

Julia took a deep breath and wiped her tears away. "Chelsea's house is ruined. A tree crashed into it. The whole thing is destroyed…only a few walls are still standing."

Mirabelle gasped, looking very worried. "Oh my…that's terrible. Thank God you're alive Chelsea…Oh my…."

Dr. Trent nodded slowly, looking surprised. "Then Chelsea here is very lucky. Considering what happened, she is in good condition." He turned to me again. "You're body is in a state of shock, as to be expected. You're covered in cuts and scraped and have a few minor fractures in yours ribs and a slightly worse fracture in your wrist. I haven't finished examining you yet, but I'm sure there isn't much more the find. Open your mouth please."

I obeyed and he pulled out a small sliver flashlight out of his pocket and peered into it. After a moment, he pulled back, clicking the flashlight.

"You're throat is raw and inflamed. Most likely from your screaming and such. You also may be getting sick from the rain." As he said the last part, he stuck a thermometer under my tongue.

He started to pulled out some other things from his briefcase and laying them on the bed near my feet.

Julia sighed sadly. "Oh, no. I hope you're not sick. That'd make everything so much worse… ."

Dr. Trent began to reply when the thermometer beeped. He removed it and studied it. "Hmm…seems like you're running a high fever."

"How high?" Mirabelle asked."

"100.4." He replied. "It may continue to rise too… ."

"What do you think it is?"

"Probably a reaction from the rain and trauma her body went through. It shouldn't be worse than a bad cold, if that. But if her temperature rises over 104...then we can worry. I may have to take her to city then. Right now though, we'll just try to cool her down. Please, could you bring me a cool rag?"

Mirabelle nodded and hurried out.

"I'm going to wrap some of your wounds and your wrist, so you may experience some discomfort."

I nodded as Mirabelle came back and placed the rag on my forehead. I sighed and closed my eyes.

….

When I opened my eyes, the room was darker and empty. I reached up and removed the rag from my face. It was warm and damp. I placed it on the pillow for now and decided I wanted to sit up. I managed to prop myself up on my right arm. After a wave of dizziness, I touched the first-aid bandage on my left wrist gingerly. It felt tight and really sore. I noticed some bruising creeping from under the bandage.

As I laid back on the bed the door opened and some light spilled in. Julia entered, holding a bowl and a glass. She seemed surprised and delighted to see that I was awake.

"Chelsea." She smiled. "I'm glad you're awake."

I managed to speak, but my voice was very quiet and sounded absolutely terrible. "Me too."

She sat down in a chair that had been pulled up next to the bed and put the bowl on the floor. "And you can talk now! That's great. Here, drink this."

She handed me the glass of water. I sat up again and drank some.

"If you can, could you explain what happened last night? Like… ." She trailed off, not sure how to say something.

"It's okay." I croaked. "I'll try to explain."

After I did, she slumped back into her chair. "Gosh… ."

"Did you see if my animals were alright?" I asked her.

"Yeah. Mom and I went with Gannon to see how bad the damage actually was. They were fine, but your house…not so much. It'll have to be rebuilt completely… ."

I looked down. "How am I going to afford that…? And all the new supplies? This is bad… ."

"Don't worry." She assured me. "The whole town is chipping in to pay for everything, and Gannon lowered the price to the absolute minimum."

I gaped at her. "No way…that's so nice."

"Anything for our beloved rancher." She told me, grinning. "We're even going to continue to harvest your field and take care of your animals until you're all healed up."

"Wow… ."I felt the tears coming. "I…I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything, Chelsea." She reached over me and grabbed the rag. She bent down and wet it with the water in the bowl and rung it out. "We're all glad to help you. After all. You've help us all so much."

"Wait, the whole town knows what happened?"

She put the rag on her knee for a moment and reached into her pocket, retrieving an thermometer. She put it in my mouth, nodding. "Yeah, word spread fast. Everyone was shocked and really worried. Even Sabrina seemed concerned. That's saying something."

I nodded, a little confused. Why would Sabrina care?

The thermometer beeped and Julia looked at it.

"Oh… ." She leaned back.

"What?" I choked.

"102.2." She reported. "Good thing Dr. Trent is near by. He's at the Inn for now. How do you feel anyway?"

"Sore." I said. "And hot. And sick. Not good, basically."

"Thought so." She sighed. "You better get some more rest. Dr. Trent said so."

I nodded, and she got up and went to the door.

"If you need anything, yell." She paused. "Oh wait, don't do that. Uh, here, be right back."

She left and returned a moment later with a cow bell. "Just ring this."

I grinned and I took the bell from her.

"Okay, goodnight." She left the door slightly open when she left.

I put the bell next to me and sighed. I couldn't shake the feeling that I was forgetting something, but I couldn't think of it. I decided to think about it later and closed my eyes to go back to sleep.

**A/N: Sorry if this was boring lol. I felt like I had to write about Chelsea's condition though, and about everything that was going on. I hope you liked it either way. **

**So I'm think about ending this FanFic here soon. I feel like I'm losing readers as it gets longer and longer. Is that the case? I don't know. I hope not, but I know it probably is. That's okay though, I guess. It happens. Anyway, let me know what you think on the issue please! **

**Please Review!**

**P.S: I wont be updating again until school gets out, which is around the middle of June for me. And I may not be able to even then. It could be well over a month this time :( Sorry everyone, please stay with me though! I love you all!**


	30. Chapter 30

The next time I woke up, I was in a different room. I glanced around nervously, trying to decipher where I was. Then I noticed the IV stuck in my hand. I looked away, not being able to stand the sight. I realized I must be in a hospital room, which meant I was in the city. I took a shaky breath.

"Chelsea!" A male voice said. I looked over and, for the first time, noticed a man sitting in the chair next to the bed. He was wearing strange clothes.

"Are you a doctor?" I asked hesitantly.

The man's face fell, as if I just said something terrible to him. I immediately felt bad, even though I didn't think I said anything mean. He stood slowly, staring at the floor.

"Ha…Chelsea…you're funny. Come on, stop playing games… ." He said in a tight voice. It sounded like he was about to cry or something.

"I…I don't know what you're talking about." I told him.

His head snapped up and his eyes met mine. I noticed with a shock that they were a deep purple. They felt familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on it. Suddenly he reached out and grabbed my hand.

"You…you don't know who I am?" He asked, sounding broken.

I shook my head slightly and pulled my hand away. "I'm sorry…I don't. P-please, could you just…get me a doctor or something?"

He stared at me silently. A tear slid down his cheek and he backed away from me. A few long moments passed and I looked away. I felt awkward. I also felt like I was wrong for making him feel that way. I didn't know what I had done though.

The door opened behind him and I saw Julia, her mother, and the doctor I met before walk in. Julia ran to me happily.

"Chels!" She cried. "I'm so glad you're awake!"

"Julia… ." My eyes trailed behind her to the stranger. He was talking to the doctor in a hushed tone. I couldn't make out anything he was saying. "Uh, how did I get here?"

"We had to ship you here, it was an emergency! You're fever skyrocketed and you wouldn't wake up. It was like, almost 106."

"How long was I out?"

"Five days." She said sadly.

I looked down. "Whoa… ."

"Chelsea." The doctor said, getting my attention. Julia stepped away so he could talk to me directly. "How are you feeling?"

I thought about it. "Better. I feel a lot better."

"Good. That's good. Now, do you remember who I am?"

"Um, Dr. Trent…right?"

He glanced back at the other man. "That's right. Now, I'm going to put you through a little test, okay?"

"Alright."

"Do you remember how you got hurt?"

"Yeah…my house was hit by…a tree."

He nodded. "Where were you born?"

I was taken back by the question. Shouldn't he know that already? I opened my mouth to answer, but nothing came to my mind. I lowered my eyes and shut my mouth. "I can't…recall."

Dr. Trent made a note. Julia covered her mouth with her hand. "How old are you?"

"I'm…twenty."

"When's your birthday?"

I closed my eyes. "It's…in spring."

"Which _day_?"

I opened my eyes as tears escaped and shook my head. "I don't know. What's wrong with me? I should know these things."

"Stay calm, Chelsea. You'll be fine. It seems your accident and high fever has caused some memory loss."

I looked at the man behind him. "How much is some…? Will I remember…what if I… ."

"You should regain all your memories, but it could take some time. We'll continue the test to see how much damage has taken place."

….

An hour later I learned that I didn't remember a lot. Dr. Trent listed a bunch of names and hardly any of them rang any bells. As I realized how much I forgot, huge gaps started forming in my past. It terrified me. I didn't like not knowing anything. I asked him to tell me everything I'd forgotten but he said he could only tell me so much. The rest, like personal memories, would have to return on their own. But he seemed sure that they would.

After he left, Julia came up to me. Mirabelle sat down, sighing. She sounded tired. The other man, who must be a person I've forgotten, stayed back. He hid his face behind his cowboy themed hat.

"I'm glad you didn't forget who I was." Julia said quietly. I nodded absently, finding myself staring at the man again. "Chelsea…Chelsea why are you crying?"

I didn't know I had been. I wiped my cheeks and sighed.

"Can I…can I be alone for a moment? I asked.

"Sure." She said. "Or course."

She helped her mother up and they left. The man started to leave too.

"W-wait!" I said, stopping him. He didn't turn to look at me though. "I…want to know your name."

There was a long pause. "Vaughn."

The name sent a shock through my mind, but just I seemed to remember something, it slipped away. I hit the bed in frustration. I felt myself starting to cry again.

"Who…are you…to me?" I asked between hitches in my voice.

He didn't answer. He didn't look at me.

"Please!" I cried. "Be honest with me… ."

I heard him take a deep breath. "Your boyfriend."

And with that he swung the door open and left. The door slammed shut as I stared after him.

**A/N: I was able to update sooner than expected! I'm happy about that. Anyway, I hope you like this short chapter. I know it's not the most original idea but I hope you'll forgive me for that. I know there are tons of movies and stories about memory loss and stuff, but I'll do my best to make mine a little different. Stay with me everyone!**

**Please Review! I need some opinions. ****:)**


	31. Chapter 31

I stayed at the hospital for a week, and once I recovered enough Dr. Trent suggested I should go home and try to adjust back to my normal life as much as I could. Over the week, I only remembered a few things that weren't even that important. A random memory of me as a child. A lunch date with Julia and a girl with pink hair, who I was told was named Natalie. I somewhat remembered her.

But I haven't remembered the one thing I've been striving for. Vaughn. All I knew about him is what I've learned in the week: his name, who he is suppose to be to me, and that he's quiet. I wanted to know more. I _needed_ to. I couldn't imagine what he must be feeling.

"Come on, Chelsea," Julia said, pulling me away from my thoughts. "The boat is going to leave soon. We don't want to miss it."

She gently took my arm and led me towards the docks. I inwardly sighed. She's been treating me like some lost puppy all week Well, I guess I sort of was. But still. It was kind of annoying.

We boarded the ship just as the horn sounded. Once our luggage was stored away in safety, we tried to settle in for the ride. I knew it'd be a few hours before we were back on the island. I didn't have much to do to pass time, so I just leaned on the side and looked out at the sea.

After a few minutes, Julia appeared by my side, which wasn't surprising. She barely left me alone for too long.

"I know it'll be hard to… ."She trailed off for a moment, then cleared her throat. "It'll be hard to work with your broken wrist, but don't worry too much about it. You'll have plenty of help."

I sighed. "What about my house?"

She stretched her arms. "Last I heard, the town's been working on repairing it and saving your things, but the weather's been getting in the way of any progress."

"Will I be staying in the Inn or something?" I asked, even though I knew the answer.

"Of course not! You have a home with us until your house is completely done."

"Who's been taking care of my farm?"

"Mark and a few others." She glanced my way for a moment, as if looking for a reaction.

"That's nice of them."

"So, who do you remember again?"

"You, Mirabelle, Taro, kind of Sabrina, kind of Natalie… ." I paused. "Nick from the Diner, those weird native people in the forest…and that's about all."

Julia hesitated. "I'm sure you'll remember everyone soon enough. Maybe once we get back there, it'll all come back to you."

"Maybe… ."

I guess she picked up that I wanted to be alone because she slipped away. Sighing, I leaned my head against the railing. I doubted it'd be that easy. I lifted my head and looked around. I found who I was looking for across the ship. He was leaning against the railing with his hat covering his face. But I knew he saw me because he suddenly turned away.

I didn't understand. If he was my boyfriend, then shouldn't he be trying to help me remember him? Shouldn't he stay by my side? A sudden thought occurred to me. What if he took all this as breaking up? What if he didn't feel like dealing with this and decided to use it as a way to get out?

Thinking about that made me angry. I know I didn't remember him, but something in me didn't want him to give up on me. I turned and marched towards him.

"Hey." I said firmly, grabbing the railing next to him. "What's your deal? I don't understand."

He seemed surprised for a moment, then he scowled at me. "What?"

"You said you're my boyfriend, right?" I didn't give him time to answer. "Well, then why aren't you acting like one? Last time I checked, boyfriends are suppose to stay with you no matter what, if they cared. So, what, do you just not care? Or do you just don't feel like dealing with me? It's not _my_ fault a tree destroyed my house and messed me up, so stop acting like I forgot you on purpose!"

He stared at me in shock. His brow furrowed and he opened his mouth to say something but I continued, tears forming in my eyes.

"Well, if you were looking for an out, here it is! Take it!" I spat, and stormed away.

My vision got blurry from my tears but I managed to make it inside. I stumbled around until I found a place to sit down. I cried, even though I wasn't sure why I was. My chest felt tight, as if it were about to rip open. I waited for him to come after me, but he never did…

**A/N: Whoa, it's been a long time. Almost a month. Sorry guys. Well to make it up, I wrote two new chapters to upload at once! Yay! Well, yay for you, not me. This is hard, you know. And to make matters worse, I have my biggest fan standing over my shoulder to make sure I keep writing. (She's insane.)**

**Anyway! I hope you all enjoyed this little chapter. It's dramatic! You guys like that right? **

**Review please!:)**


	32. Chapter 32

I managed to hide my feelings from Julia and avoid Vaughn the next few days. Well, the Vaughn part was easy since he apparently leaves for most of the week. He's only here two days, which makes me question how a relationship started. I tired to keep my mind off him, but it wasn't going to well. If my mind wandered for even a second, it'd jump directly to him, causing me to feel depressed.

Besides all of that, Mirabelle and Julia have been making me take it easy. Today they were finally going to let me venture out into the world. I knew they were looking out for me, but I thought they were taking it a little far. I felt completely fine now, the only problem being my wrist. I wasn't sore or light headed anymore, and my ribs have already healed.

I was sitting at the counter drinking some water when I heard a bell ring, signaling someone's arrival. I turned to see who and almost choked. Vaughn stood for a moment, staring. He hesitated before disappearing down the hallway. I heard his door slam. I turned back around and set my glass down, trying to remember the date.

I hadn't realized it was Wednesday. I sighed and got up, leaving my glass on the counter. I was about to leave when I heard Julia calling for me. She came down the hall.

"Wait for me, Chelsea." She said.

"I do remember where my farm is, you know." I told her.

"Oh, I-I know." She looked a little hurt. "I just wanted to help you. You can't milk your cows with one hand… ."

She had a point, and I felt a little bad. "You're right, sorry."

"Well let's get going." She opened the door.

I held my hand above my eyes and smiled slightly at the sky. I felt excited to get back to doing things I used to do. I had a feeling farming would help my memory return. It didn't take long before we arrived at my farm. I scanned the fields, wondering about my crops, and spotted a figure kneeling.

"Who is that?" I asked, squinting.

"I think it's Mark." Julia said, not sounding too pleased. "It's hard to tell with the sun in our eyes."

"Hmm… ." I looked at my house next. Or at least, what use to be my house. It was basically a pile of organized rubble. There was a different pile of new wood and parts off to the side covered with a sheet of plastic. No one was around there as far as I could tell.

Julia and I started crossing the field towards my animal barn and chicken coop. We stopped when we met a guy with blond hair, who was trying to pull out a weed. He looked up at us and did a double-take. He sprang to his feet, fixed his blue hat, and brushed the dirt off his hands. He smiled brightly.

"H-hey Chelsea!" He said a little nervously.

"Um… ." I glanced at Julia. She mouthed the name 'Mark' at me. "Hi, Mark."

"You don't….remember me, huh?"

"No." I frowned. "Not really. I'm really sorry."

For some reason, he seemed relieved. "No, no no! Don't worry about it. I completely understand. It just means we can become friends all over again, right?"

He held out his hand to me, grinning. I smiled and took it. "I guess so!"

"Chelsea." Julia said, nudging me. She gestured towards my animals.

"Oh, right. Sorry. Thanks for helping me out on my farm, Mark! I really appreciate it."

"Anytime, Chelsea. I'm happy to help."

Julia and I continued towards the barn. She sighed loudly.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"No, nothing." She shook her head. "It's nothing, I guess. Do you remember anything about him?"

I thought about it. "Not really. He seems really nice though."

She grunted in reply, which had me wondering about Mark. Did something happen between them?

….

Julia left after we finished milking my cows and cleaning up the barn because she had to get to work at her own shop. I assured her it was fine and that I was capable of picking up a few eggs on my own. Turns out I wasn't. I dropped one of them, but other than that mishap, I was fine. I decided I couldn't worry about one little egg.

I exited the chicken coop into the warm afternoon sun. It wasn't so bright anymore and I could see that Mark has been working pretty hard on my field. It was mostly clear and I saw quite a few things growing. I looked around for him and found him at the shipping bin. I jogged in his direction and called out. He turned and waved. When I caught up to him, I was slightly out of breath.

"You okay?" He asked, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Yeah." I panted. "I'm fine. Just a little winded. Anyway, I just wanted to thank you again."

"No problem!" He smiled. "I'm just glad you're alright. You scared everyone, you know."

"Yeah, I know. Sorry about that."

"It's not your fault. It's not like you did it on purpose." He laughed.

I paused, his words reminding me of my own when I was talking to Vaughn. There was a pang in my chest at the reminder.

"What?" He asked, looking concerned. "Was it something I said?"

"N-no." I shook my head, trying to shake the feeling. "Sorry, I just zoned out I guess."

"Oh, alright." He paused. "Well…hey, how about we go get some lunch together? Maybe we can catch up?"

"Uh…sure! Actually that sounds great. I haven't been back to the Diner since I've come home. I've wanted to say hi to Nick."

"Oh, so you remember him and not me, huh?" He said jokingly.

I frowned in reply.

"I'm just joking!" He assured me, flashing a smile. "Don't take it to heart."

"Well…okay."

"Now lets go, and don't worry about the price. I'll cover you."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah! Think of it as a coming home gift."

"But you're already tending to my fields… ."

"So?" He laughed. "I was doing that before all this happened."

"Wait, what?" I asked, confused. For some reason that seemed off to me. I didn't think I would allow that. I'm not the type to ask for help.

"Y-yeah. You had some problems before the accident, remember?"

"Oh, well, no. Sorry. It'll all come back to me soon enough."

"Well…even if your memory doesn't come back, you can just start fresh, right?" He chuckled.

"I guess… ."

"Well, I'm starved! Shall we?" He offered his arm to me playfully.

Laughing, I took it. "Why, certainly."

**A/N: Dun Dun Duuuun….What's this? Is Mark making his move? How bold of him! **

**I hope you guys like this chapter!**

**Please Review!**


	33. Chapter 33

"You sure have been hanging around Mark lately." Julia observed, repainting her pinky nail once more to be sure. She glanced up at me.

I shrugged, "He's been helping me out a lot."

"Right." She blew on her nails. "And you're not suspicious at all?"

"Why would I be?" I asked.

She didn't respond right away. Instead, she stood up and put away her nail polish. I remained seated on her floor. We were relaxing after a long day of organizing the new layout of my house. Gannon, the carpenter, wanted to know how I'd like the floor plans to be and if I'd like any certain details. Even though I insisted I wasn't picky, Julia forced me to sit through hours of planning. She said that since I had the opportunity to have a great house, I should take advantage of it.

"Look, Chelsea, I'm going to tell you something because I'm your friend." She said, sitting back down. "I know Dr. Trent suggested we let memories come to you naturally, but this is important."

"What?"

"Well…" She leaned in closer. "Mark is evil."

I laughed despite of myself. "_What?"_

Julia pouted. "I'm not kidding, Chelsea. He really is. I mean, I liked him at first and I know I wanted you two to date, but now…no. "

"Wait, what? You wanted us to date?" I felt a blush creep up to my cheeks.

"Well, yeah. Me and Natalie has this bet, and she won in the end, but that doesn't mater now because-"

"Wait, Julia, slow down. What bet?"

She took a deep breath. "A bet on who you'd end up dating. I was sure you and Mark would date since you're both farmers, but Nat thought you and Vaughn would end up together."

For some reason, Vaughn's name seemed to kick me in the heart. I ignored it, shaking my head. "B-but I'm not with Vaughn anymore… ."

"I've noticed." She sighed. "Vaughn's been depressed lately. Even more than usual. Why did you…?"

I shook my head again, hating the way my chest was tightening up "I don't want to talk about it… ."

She paused. "Okay. But back to Mark… ."

"Julia, Mark seems like a really nice guy."

"That's what he wants you to think!" Julia protested. "When you and…you know, were dating, he was forever trying to sabotage your relationship. Sabrina too! They were sorta in on it together. Mark wanted you and she wanted Vaughn."

"W-well that doesn't even matter now! He and I aren't…together anymore. So…so I guess things worked out for a reason. Maybe I was meant to lose my memory!"

"How can you say that?" Julia exclaimed. "You don't remember what's happened. You did so much to get Vaughn to warm up to you! You were so happy, and it's not like you to give that up so easily."

"That's what you don't understand!" I cried. "I'm hardly the same person anymore! How can I be if I don't remember half the people in my life? Or what I've done in the last year?"

Julia stared at me. Her bottom lip started to quiver like a child's. "I _know_ you're still the same Chelsea. You've just got to find her and remember."

"I've been trying." I swallowed the lump forming in my throat. "It's not easy."

"But I know you can do it. Sooner or later, you'll remember what a jerk Mark has been. You'll remember how much you liked Vaughn. You might have even loved him."

I shook my head and wave my hands for her to stop. I felt the tears escaping. "S-stop, Julia. I don't want to talk about him! It hurts too much."

She reached out for me. "See? Why would it hurt if you didn't care about him?"

I jerked away and stood up. "I-I'm not talking about this anymore."

I stormed out of her room crying. I didn't understand how things ended up like that, but I didn't like it. I couldn't stay in the house and I didn't have anywhere else to go. I was staying in Julia's room with her because I didn't want to stay in the guest room. That's where he slept.

I decided to take a walk to clear my mind. I knew I'd have to patch things up with Julia sooner or later, but I needed to calm down first. I decided to go to the forest, even though I didn't quite remember my way around it.

Eventually, I found a log and sat down. I sighed heavily. Thinking about it, I guess Julia was right, in a way. I would start to remember things. But I didn't think she was right about Mark. He wouldn't do something so mean. She must have just misunderstood a situation or something. That had to be it.

Suddenly I remember something he said. _'Well…even if your memory doesn't come back, you can just start fresh, right?' _When he first said it, I thought he was just trying to cheer me up. But now, something about that sentence bothered me. And the way he acted so nervous at first, but then relaxed when he knew I didn't remember him.

He did seem like he was hiding something.

But…that didn't have to mean something bad happened, right? Julia's words were just getting to me. I'm sure it was something silly. I think… .

I sighed again, putting my head in my hands. This was all too much. I opened my eyes and stared at the ground for a moment. Then I spotted a small plant growing by my foot. I reached down and tore off a leaf. Something about it seemed familiar. I tired to figure out what type of plant it was. I brought it to my nose and sniffed it. My eyes widened.

It was mint.

**A/N: I think this is a good place to end this chapter! Haha, I hope you guys are enjoying the rapid updates. I have a lot of free time now that school is out. Actually, too much free time. I'm starting to get bored…hmm…Anyway, I hope I still have a good number of readers out there! **

**Please, please Review! :)**


	34. Chapter 34

My mind flooded with a memory.

It was choppy and a little blurry, but I understood it perfectly.

I saw myself and a man wearing a cowboy hat sitting against a log. _Vaughn_. He bit into a cookie. I smiled.

Then it was snowing. For some reason, I was laughing. I ducked as something flew over my head. When I turned, I saw Vaughn standing there laughing and making another snowball. I said something, and he laughed again.

I opened my eyes and looked around. His laugh sounded so real I had to make sure. My heart was racing as I stood up and turned to look at the log I'd been sitting on. Then I looked at the area around me and knew I was in the same place. I looked at the mint leaf in my hand.

I knew it triggered the memory, but I wasn't sure how. Nothing about the memory had anything to do with mint, did it? I thought about it for a moment and inwardly gasped. The cookie.

I grinned to myself. I had remembered something, and it was even about Vaughn. His laugh seemed to echo in my mind and I lost my smile. I wanted to hear it again. I clutched the leaf in my hand and ran. I needed to tell someone what happened, and I knew it had to be Julia. I'll apologize to her and tell her she was right about my memory. It'd come back. One way or another.

I stopped at the door of the shop to catch my breath. Then I opened it and saw Julia right away. She was sitting on the couch flipping through a book. When she looked up and saw me she jumped up, dropping the book.

"Oh, Chelsea! I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have pushed you like that. I was-"

"No, wait." I interrupted her. "You were right. About my memory, I mean. I don't know what to think of Mark, but I know you wouldn't lie to me. I'll be more careful with him for now on. But once my memory returns, I'll know everything."

She smiled and grabbed me in a hug. "I'm so relieved."

"And guess what?" I said happily. "I remembered something."

She gasped. "Really? What?"

I held out the crumbled up mint leaf. She stared at it for a long moment.

"Uh, Chels? I don't understand… ."

"It's a mint leaf. It made me remember something about Vaughn. We were in the forest and he was eating a cookie. Then we were having a snowball fight or something."

She tapped her chin, then gasped. "Oh! Winter Thanksgiving!"

"What?"

"You gave Vaughn mint chocolate chip cookies for Winter Thanksgiving. You gave him special ones, just like I gave Elliot something special."

I nodded slowly, looking at the leaf again.

"Oh this is great, Chelsea!" Julia said. "I'm so happy for you. Soon, you'll remember everything!"

I smiled. "Yeah. I know."

….

After everything was patched up with Julia, I decided to go to my ranch to check up on things. I replayed the memory over and over again in my head, just in case I were to forget it. I wanted to know why I gave Vaughn something special. Other than for obvious reasons. I felt like there was something else there, and once I remembered it I'd remember something else.

I sighed and looked over my fields. It seemed like Mark had already finished, which made sense because it was late in the afternoon already. I noticed my house had made a little progress since this morning. Gannon must be working hard. I had to think of a way to make this up to him in the end. I sighed again. I had no idea what'd I do.

"Gosh, you sure do sigh a lot." A voice said behind me.

I gasped and spun around, only to face Natalie. I clutched at my heart. "Oh my gosh, Nat, don't _do_ that."

She laughed. "What? I didn't mean to scare you."

I shook my head and felt myself smile. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, you know, just checking up on my friend. Making sure she doesn't forget me again."

I sighed. "I said I was sorry… ."

"I'm joking!" She slung her arm around me. "Learn to take a joke. I know you didn't mean to. As long as you know who I am now and it stays that way."

"Don't worry," I assured her. "I won't."

"Unless you forget me when you're all old and senile, then it's acceptable. I'll let you off the hook then."

I laughed. "Gee, thanks."

"So how're you healing up?" She poked at my cast on my wrist.

"Fine." I wiggled my fingers a little. "It doesn't hurt anymore. I'll only have to wear it a few more weeks."

"And what about up there?" She tapped my head.

I brushed her head away. "I don't know. I'm starting to remember things here and there."

"Anything major?"

"Well…sorta. Just one thing."

She grinned. "What is it then?"

I shrugged. "Something about Vaughn."

"About how you're madly in love with him?" She exclaimed.

I blushed and shook my head. "N-no! Nothing like that. Stop saying things like that."

"I'm kidding. So what was it?"

I told her about the mint and what it made me remember.

"Awesome! Hopefully this means you'll start remembering more about him."

I nodded. "Yeah, me too. I'd really like that… ."

"So this means you actually _want_ to remember him now?"

"I want to remember _everything_ about him."

**A/N: Here's another chapter! Enjoy!**

**By the way, is this story getting too sad or something? One review made me a little nervous. I don't want to lose readers because they don't like what's happening. *sigh* Well I guess I cant really make everyone happy, can I? I hope you all will keep reading to find out what happens!**

**Please Review~**


	35. Chapter 35

I peaked out into the hallway from the crack of Julia's door. The coast was clear so I slipped out and tip-toed down the hallway. Once I reached the end, I poked my head out around the corner just far enough to see.

Only to see the person I'd been avoiding staring straight at me.

I froze, unable to break the eye contact. He rose an eyebrow at me, confused.

"Uh, what exactly are you doing?" He asked.

I swallowed and stepped out into the room. "N-nothing really… ."

"Why are you sneaking around?"

"I wasn't."

He narrowed his eyes at me. "Uh huh."

I sighed and walked over to the counter where he was sitting. "Okay, fine. I was trying to…avoid you."

I saw hurt flash in his eyes, but he quickly masked it with a glare.

"I-I mean," I said quickly. "I just feel bad about what happened between us. On that boat. I feel like…I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions…."

Vaughn held an emotionless stare. Man he was good.

"What I'm trying to say is, I'm sorry." I frowned at him. "Is there anyway we can start over?"

He frowned too. "No."

"What?"

"I don't want to 'start over'. I want to go back to what we were. It took too darn long to get there in the first place." He said harshly.

I stared at him, open-mouthed. "B-but… ."

"Talk to me when you get your memory back." He said dismissively, standing up and leaving.

I sat there for a moment while I recovered. A few minutes later I stood numbly and headed towards my farm to get to work. I could already tell today would not be a good one.

….

"Hey, Chelsea." Someone said behind me.

I turned from brushing one of my cows and saw Mark. "Hey."

"Need some help finishing up?" He asked.

"No, that's okay." I put away the brush. "That was the last one."

"Great. Want to grab some lunch?"

"Uh, no thanks." I said. He frowned at me. "I mean, I have to meet with Gannon soon about my house. Maybe another time."

"How about dinner?" He asked.

"Dinner?" I bit my lower lip. "Well… ."

"Come on," He said taking a few steps towards me. "It'll be fun. Just the two of us."

"Like, a date?"

He smiled. "You could call it that."

I backed up casually. "Well…I don't know. Can I get back to you on that?"

His smiled fell slightly. "Oh. Well sure. I'll come by later and find you."

"O-okay." I nodded.

He waved and left the barn. I frowned. Ever since I remembered something about Vaughn I've felt differently around Mark. I couldn't place my finger on it, but I felt like I shouldn't be hanging around him.

But I figured since I didn't know why, I couldn't just stop talking to him. I didn't have a good enough reason. So far he hasn't given me any clues on our past relationship. But he has mentioned his dislike for Vaughn. He claimed he was a rude, good for nothing cowboy who didn't know his place. In my heart, I knew that was wrong. But I didn't say anything.

I met Gannon at the entrance of the ranch. He was looking excited.

"Hey there, Chelsea. You're looking mighty pretty today." He greeted.

"Morning, Gannon." I said smiling. "So what do you have planned today?"

"I have good news." He lead me towards my house, which was now fully structured. "She should be finished in the next day or two."

"That's great!" I said. "Can I have a sneak peak now?"

"No, no." He shook his head. "It's a surprise."

"But… ."

"Nope. You can't see er' till tomorrow. Now run along, I've got work to do."

"Don't you need help?"

"Sure I do, but you can't help me today. Could you go fetch Denny for me?"

"Alright." I pouted.

"Thank ya, little miss." He grinned. "I promise you're gonna love it!"

I smiled and headed off to find Denny. I remembered most things about him by now. Actually, I've seemed to remember most things about everyone. Except Vaughn. That frustrated me. I guessed I was just trying too hard to remember him, whereas with everyone else it just came to me easier.

I found him on the dock, which wasn't surprising. He turned when he heard my footsteps. He smiled warmly at me.

"Hey, Chelsea. What's up?"

"Gannon needs your help." I told him.

"With your house?"

I nodded. "Yeah. He wont let me see it until its finished. Give me some hints?"

"Nope." He laughed. "You have to wait."

I frowned. "Aw."

He patted my shoulder as he walked past me. "You'll be fine. It's only a day. Maybe."

I watched him leave and sighed. Now what do I do? I was expecting to be busy until dinner time. How would I spend the next hours? I sat on the dock with my feet dangling over the side and thought about it. Julia and Natalie said they'd be busy today with who knows what, so they were out of the question.

I laid down on my back and looked at the sky. It was clear and blue. I didn't see a single cloud. I closed my eyes and sighed again. I actually felt pretty relaxed. The sun felt nice on my face.

Before I knew it, I was asleep.

**A/N: Hey guys! I just survived a huge, scary storm the stole my power for two days. That meant no air conditioning in this crazy hot, 100 degree weather. Or entertainment. Or food. Luckily my power returned, but unfortunately my cable and internet didn't come along with it. So to cure my boredom, I wrote this! Yay for you guys, huh? **

**Anyway, I hope you guys liked this!**

**Please Review!**


	36. Chapter 36

I dreamt of Vaughn.

He was always next to me, but he never said a word. I walked all over the island; every single inch of it. But he never left my side. He didn't even look at anything else other than me.

'_What are you doing?"_ I finally asked.

'_What do you mean?_' He replied evenly.

'_Why are you still with me? You haven't left me all day.'_

He smiled slightly. _'That's because I'll never leave your side. Where ever you may go, or what ever happens, I'll be here.'_

I frowned at his words. '_But you have left me.'_

'_No, I haven't. I've still been here.'_

'_But why?'_

"_Because I love you.' _

I jolted awake as heavy rained pelted my face. Shocked, I just laid there thinking about my dream.

What did all that mean?

I had the sudden urge to see him. I sat up and looked at the sky. It was dark and I heard thunder rumble in the distance. I looked at the time and sighed in relief when I saw it was only six. That meant he hadn't left yet.

Something was happening. I didn't know what, but I felt giddy and excited. But also insanely nervous.

Suddenly I heard someone calling my name. I stood and turned, but my heart fell when I saw it was only Mark. I didn't move or wave to him. He jogged onto the dock. His feet splashed in the small puddles forming in the docks cracks and dents. He gently touched my arm.

"What are you doing out here?" He asked worriedly. "I've been looking for you for over an hour."

I recoiled from his touch for some reason. "Why?"

He acted as if he didn't notice. "Um, look around. There's a storm. When I found out you weren't at the animal shop or with Julia, I got worried."

"It's just a storm." I said. "Why would you be worried?"

"Because…of the last storm. I was worried you'd be scared or something."

"I'm fine." I looked past him. "I have to go."

As I walked by him he grabbed my arm. "Why? I'll come with you,"

"No." I shook him off. "Sorry. I have to find someone."

"Who? I can help."

"I can do it myself!" I snapped. "I don't always need help with every single thing!"

He gasped, looking hurt. "Sorry, Chelsea…I've just been trying to help."

"Sorry." I sighed. "But to get my memory back, I need to do things myself again."

His face changed. "It's okay if you don't get it back. You don't have to try so hard, you're going to wear yourself out that way."

I glared at him. "I _want_ to remember! Why do you seem so against it anyway? Are you hiding something?"

"N-no!"

"Whatever, I have to go find him." I mumbled, turning away again.

"Who's him?" He asked.

The rain started to get heavier. "Vaughn."

"Why him?" Mark spat. "He's a jerk to you! You even told me yourself how he was when you lost your memory! He's no good for you."

"Don't tell me who's good for me and who isn't, Mark. I can decide that for myself."

"No you can't!" He yelled, grabbing me. "You made the mistake before and if I don't stop you, you'll do it again!"

"I didn't make any mistakes." I told him.

"You did." He said, tightening his grip on my arm. I cried out a little in pain, but he didn't let go. "Vaughn is not right for you. I am!"

"Mark-"

He forcefully leaned in and smacked his lips into mine. My eyes widened and I screamed. I pushed him away and slapped him with my free hand.

"Let me go!" I screamed, tears spilling over. "What are you doing?"

His grip on my arm didn't loosen, it just got tighter. Suddenly, my mind went haywire, and thousands of things popped into it. Hundreds of pictures and memories swam in front of my eyes so that I couldn't see.

I saw Vaughn. I saw his smile. Heard his laugh. Felt his kiss.

I saw his apartment. His room. The red bandana. The cookies.

I remembered our first kiss. The broken door. The bull.

Every single thing about Vaughn, I remembered. I felt so happy, despite of what was happening. I finally remembered everything. I remembered my feelings.

I remembered I loved him.

Then I remembered about Mark. What he had done to us. What he's done in the last few weeks. Lied to me. Played me. I looked at him with hatred.

"You." I sneered. I pulled at my arm, but he held on.

"Chelsea, please-" He begged.

"I remember everything, Mark. What would you do that…this? What are you even doing?"

"Chelsea, we're meant to be together. Why cant you see this?" He pulled me in again.

"No, Mark!" I snapped, finally pulling my arm free. I backed away from him. "We're not! Just accept it!"

"I can't!" He cried.

I continued to back away. "Leave me alone, Mark. _Never_ speak to me again."

Then I ran. I ran to the animal shop. When I swung the door open, I obviously startled Julia, who dropped the mug she was holding. But I couldn't bother with that right now. I tore into the hallway, ignoring Julia's call. I opened Vaughn's door. I opened my mouth to speak.

But it was empty.

I stared into the dark room. The sheets were stripped from the bed and the walls were bare from the previous paintings that were hanging. It was like no one stayed there. I sank to my knees, feeling the tears coming back.

"Chelsea!" Julia kneeled next to me. She put her arm around my shoulder. "Oh, Chelsea… ."

"Where is he?" I asked quietly.

"He…left. He decided to take a break from this island. He thought…it'd do you some good."

"He said he'd always be with me." I choked through my tears. Julia didn't understand my sloppy words.

"What, Chelsea?"

"I remembered." I cried.

A few tears slid down her cheeks. "Oh, Chelsea…I'm so sorry…but he'll be back."

I shook my head. "No. He gave up on me."

"That's not true." She shook her head. "He'd never do that."

And I believe her. I took a deep breath and stood up. "I have to go find him."

She stood too. "That's a great idea. You know where he lives right?"

"Yeah." I wiped my face. "I can't give up."

She smiled. "That's the right attitude!" Then she frowned and grabbed my arm. "What's this?"

I looked at what she was talking about. There was a distinct hand shaped bruise forming on my fore arm.

"Mark." I said in disgust.

Sparks flew in her eyes and she seethed in anger. "Why that little-Wait till I get my hands on him! How dare he! What happened?"

….

I got on the ship that Vaughn would have originally gotten on to go home that day. I needed to find him before it was too late. I didn't want him to go off somewhere for weeks. I was done feeling bad for myself and waiting for things to happen. I needed to make them happen. I refused to give up now.

**A/N: I hope this makes up for the last chapter. I could have done a lot better with that one, but I slipped up. It wasn't my best work. I hope you guys are sticking through this sad story so far, because its about to change!**

**Please Review!**


	37. Chapter 37

It was almost midnight by the time I got to the city. The ship was delayed for a while because the storm threw it off course. Everyone who was on the ship took cover from the rain once it docked. They ran to their destinations and I was left alone, standing on the dock. I looked around, trying to remember the right direction to go. The streets were dimly lit by dull street lights, and only a few shop's still had their lights on. I began to panic slightly, realizing I had hardly any idea where Vaughn was. I couldn't believe I came to the city alone. Willingly. I wished I had asked Julia to come.

No, I thought. I had to do this myself.

I began walking in a direction I thought was right. I tried not to let my imagination get the best of me. I didn't need to worry about all the scary scenarios that could happen to me.

In the rain.

At midnight.

Alone…

"Stop!" I muttered to myself, grasping my hands together. "Get a hold of yourself."

The last thing I needed was a panic attack. I took a deep breath and sighed. I could do this. No problem.

I thought about the time in a different way. What if Vaughn were asleep? Then I'd have to either bang on his door and wake him up, or wait until morning. I couldn't decide which of those options sounded the worse.

But I definitely didn't want to stay outside all night.

Alone.

What was I thinking? I should have waited until morning! What if Vaughn didn't want to hear it, and left me to fend for myself? I didn't even stop to think about this. I acted too rashly.

I sighed. There was no turning back now. I tried to reason that Vaughn wasn't the type of person to let anyone wander the streets at night. I mean, he did take me in before, didn't he? And even then he didn't seem to like me much.

After a while, I somehow made it to a familiar animal shop. I stood at the doors for a long time.

I'd forgotten he lived above the shop.

How in the _world_ was I going to get in? I mentally kicked myself again and again. How could I forget this? He would never hear me knocking now. I looked around desperately, hoping to find a way to get in or make him hear me.

Then I noticed a piece of paper above a small box on the left side of the door. It read: "_If the shop is closed and you need to speak with someone, push the button located below. Only in case of emergency, please."_

This was an emergency, right?

I flipped the lid to the box open, revealing a small red button. I held my breath and pushed it. Then I waited.

And waited.

I bit my lip and pressed it again. What if it were broken? Or he couldn't hear it? Or what if he were ignoring it? That sounded like Vaughn to me. I pressed it a few more times.

I looked through the windows, but failed to see anything in the dark.

I felt the panic rising. I could almost feel the danger at my back, lurking over my shoulder. I spun around for a moment, but nothing was there. I went back to the box and pressed the button repeatedly. I didn't even care anymore.

But no one came. No lights switched on. I banged on the door a few times, feeling a lump forming in my throat. No one was coming.

I was stranded.

I swallowed and turned away from the door. I needed find somewhere to go. I took a few steps, but stopped again. I literally had no idea where any inn's were. Where anything was.

I stood there as the rain continued to fall. I was sure I was doomed.

But there I heard a door open, and someone say, sounding annoyed, "Hello?"

I spun around and saw Vaughn at the door. As he recognized me, his face changed to shock. I didn't know what to say then. At that moment, everything I had prepared in my mind vanished. We just stood there, staring at each other.

He spoke first. "Chelsea? What…what are you doing here…?"

I felt the lump return and ran to him. I slung my arms around his neck and cried into his neck. His body went rigid, and he stumbled back a bit.

"I'm so sorry, Vaughn." I sobbed. "I'm sorry."

He grabbed my shoulders and pushed me away. "What the heck is going on? What are you doing here?"

I rambled on incoherently about what had happened, but ended up sounding like a complete idiot. He looked even more confused.

"I love you, Vaughn!" I blurted out. His eyes widened. "I remembered everything. I remembered. Mark made me remember and I tried telling you at the island, but you had left. I had to come find you. Right away. I'm sorry. I thought you gave up. I needed to tell you. Did you give up on me?"

He stared at me, his face contorting into hundreds of emotions. Then he shook his head, looking like he was going to cry. He grabbed me in a hug. "No. No I wouldn't never give up on you, Chelsea. I'd never leave you. I just couldn't stand staying on that island while you were oblivious to me. I thought that if I left… ."

He stopped and moved to where he was looking at me. "I love you too, Chelsea."

He kissed me then. I returned the kiss, and couldn't help the tears sliding down my face. I couldn't explain, or even begin to understand my feelings that moment. I just felt so happy. Relieved. Unbelievably grateful.

I felt as if everything was right again. Like my life was perfect. It was so clear to me now. I was meant to be with Vaughn.

Mark was wrong. So incredibly wrong.

….

Vaughn brought me up to his apartment and I took a hot shower. During so, I realized I got to experience every girls perfect kiss. In the rain. Full of love and emotion. I smiled to myself, feeling giddy. After I finished dressing into his dry, warm clothes I went out into the living room. He was in the kitchen. I approached him and he handed me a mug full of steaming liquid.

"Tea." He told me.

"Thanks." I set it down, letting it cool. I smiled at him.

He smiled too, but then seemed to notice something. I followed the direction of his eyes and realized he saw the bruise. I tried to cover it with my hand.

"Oh." Was all I could say.

"What is that?" He demanded, grabbing my arm and moving my hand away. "Who did this to you?"

"Uh, well… ."

"Chelsea." He said sternly. "Was it…Mark?"

I nodded, frowning. "B-but, it's okay. I took care of it."

His eyes filled with rage. "It's not okay, Chelsea! He hurt you! I'll kill-"

"Vaughn!" I interrupted.

He clenched his jaw. "What happened?"

I told him everything that happened on the beach. Every detail. He deserved to know. By the time I was finished, he was so angry he didn't know how to handle himself. I guess he settled on pacing back and forth, glaring. I tried telling him that it was okay and that I'd told Julia, and that I was sure she was beating him to a pulp at that very moment, but it didn't seem to calm him down.

Finally I just hugged him. He stopped pacing and hugged me back.

"Vaughn. It's okay. I'm okay." I told him. "All that matters is that I got my memory back."

He sighed and relaxed a little. "Well, yeah. But still. Mark will regret what he did."

It was my turn to sigh. "As much as I dislike Mark, I'd rather you not kill him. I don't think he'll be sticking around the island anyway."

He hugged me a little tighter. "I'm so glad you got your memory back. I was starting to go crazy. And I'm sorry for being so rude. I shouldn't have be so distant on the boat. It's all my fault."

"No, don't think that way." I told him, removing myself from his arms. "That's in the past now, and I forgive you."

He nodded and smiled a little. I smiled back and gave him a kiss.

That night I went to bed the happiest I've ever been. I fell asleep wrapped in Vaughn's arms. Everything felt right.

It was perfect.

**A/N: Hey everyone! I hope you guys enjoy this, considering I was up until 1am writing it. I can't wait to get some well deserved rest after uploading this! Anyway, I'd like to inform you that this story is coming to an end (finally). I'm not sure how many more chapters it'll have, but it won't be a lot. **

**Just a fair warning.**

**Please Review :D**


	38. Chapter 38

**A/N: This chapter marks a whole year of this story being up! Exactly one year ago I thought to myself "Hey, I should write my own fan fiction." after reading tons of other stories. I hope it was worth it! **

I actually stayed with Vaughn for a few days before returning home. I didn't want to run into Mark by accident under any circumstances. I made sure to call Julia and let her know, and she assured me she'd make sure my farm would be taken care of. She also informed me that Mark had apparently left the island, and the my house was finished. I was so happy to finally get only good news for once.

Sadly, I had to go home eventually. The days spent with Vaughn were unbelievably perfect; so perfect it made me wonder if it was real. We spent every second together, whether it was helping him with the shop or food shopping. When Wednesday finally rolled around, I was feeling depressed that it had to end.

On the boat to the island Vaughn was quiet, which was strange after so many days of constant talking and laughing. He seemed lost in thought as he stared out to the sea. I decided not to say anything and just stood next to him.

Julia greeted us on the beach. She gave me a huge hug when I got off the boat.

"Oh! I've miss you, Chelsea!" She cried, nearly crushing me. "It's so lonely around here without you."

I laughed and patted her back. "You have Natalie, don't you?"

She let go of me and looked me dead in the eye. "Do you know how annoying she can get? She constantly talks about her weird little boyfriend now. Oh! That reminds me! He proposed!"

"What?" I exclaimed. "He did?"

"Yes! The wedding is in a few days. You have to go see her about your bridesmaid dress. Which, by the way, is hideous."

I groaned. "Great."

"Don't worry, I'll make sure my bridesmaids dresses are nicer."

"Does that mean…?"

"No." She said sadly. "Not yet. But we've talk about it here and there."

"I'm sure he'll come around." I assured her.

She nodded, then looked at Vaughn. "So Vaughn-"

"Shut it." He said, cutting her off. His face grew a few shades darker.

"Anyway," I said, eager to change the subject. "My house. I want to see it."

"Oh right! You're going to love it! Come on."

…

After a full hour of touring my new house, Julia finally remembered she had a job to do and left. Vaughn seemed relieved when she left and relaxed a little.

"She talks too much." He commented.

I smiled. "Yeah, sometimes. But you gotta love her."

He grunted in reply and sat down at my new kitchen table.

My house was bigger than my old one. It had a few extra rooms, a bigger kitchen and bathroom, and nicer furniture. My room wasn't just a bed in a corner now. It was now upstairs next to the bathroom. And it was pretty big too. I noticed the bed was a lot bigger now too.

All in all, my new home was amazing and more than I could ask for. I even teared up a few times. I felt like I was on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. After the initial excitement, I finally calmed down enough to pay attention to small details.

As I was examining the detail on my door, Vaughn came up behind me and wrapped his arms around me. I jumped a little, startled. But then I smiled.

"Do you like your new house?" He asked.

"I love it. I need to think of a way to say thank you to everyone."

"You know, you don't always have to repay someone."

"Yeah, I do. If not I'll feel like I owe them. Like, its not fair."

"But you don't have to owe anyone anything."

"Well…." I thought about it. "If I hadn't owed you anything, would we even be here? Together?"

This seemed to surprise him. He let go of me and turned me around to look at him.

"Yeah." He said. "Somehow. This is meant to be. It would have happened one way or another." Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a box. "And so would this."

He kneeled down and opened the box. He pulled out a chain necklace. "I know it isn't a ring, but I'll get you one right away. But…will you marry me?"

I stared at him, dumbfounded. I felt the tears prick my eyes and smiled down at him. His face was so red and he looked so nervous. I nodded. "Yes. Of course I will!"

I pulled him up and hugged him tightly. He hugged back, sighing. I let go and looked at the necklace in his hand. With a shock, I recognized it as the necklace I saw in his room a long time ago. With the silver horseshoe.

"What?" Vaughn asked, seeming worried. "Do you like it? If not I can…"

"No, no!" I said. "I love it. It's just…well, I'll be honest. I kinda sorta saw it before. In your room. That night I stayed over."

He narrowed his eyes. "I told you not to snoop around."

"I know!" I frowned. "I'm sorry. But the case it was in looked so tempting."

"You couldn't help yourself?"

"No." I said sadly. "I have no will-power."

He chuckled slightly. "It's okay."

He put it around my neck and moved my hair out from under it.

I smiled. "Thanks for understanding. But can I ask…where did you get this?"

He paused. "It was my mothers."

I held it in my hand and looked at it. "Really?"

"Yes. She wore it all the time. She loved it."

"Thank you… ." I whispered. "I'll take care of it. I promise."

"I know you will." He kissed my forehead.

"You don't have to get me a real ring." I told him. "This is already great."

"No, I do." He smiled. "I owe you."

I smiled and pulled him in for a kiss. It was another perfect kiss, and the thought of having these moments for the rest of my life excited me to no end. I felt so many emotions that my heart ached. A good kind of ache. And I knew that if we've made it through every thing that got in our way before, we could keep going. I felt as if everything bad that happened, happened just so this moment could exist. And I was okay with that. It was worth it.

Nothing would complicate my life anymore. I'd live a simple, happy life with Vaughn by my side.

No more complications.

**A/N: Ohhh, the cheesy-ness! It hurts! But it makes a happy ending, don't you think? **

**That's right, this is the last chapter. I know it isn't long or very impressive, but I thought it was appropriate to end this story on the day it began :) You all can decide what happens afterwards. You know, the wedding, kids, old life. All that. **

**I have so much to say, but the first and most important thing is THANK YOU! To all my readers and reviewers. You all, every single one of you, motivated me enough to keep going! I appreciate you all more than you'll ever know. I can't thank you enough. I hope you all enjoyed this story, whether you've been following it since the beginning, the middle, or just now came across it. **

**I'm a little bummed I didn't reach 200 reviews with this, but oh well. I think I did pretty good anyway. This story was great practice for my writing skills. I feel like I've improved from the beginning of this to the end. **

**Feel free to give me constructive criticism or any advice you may have related to my writing. I'd love that. **

**Thank you all so much!**

**Anyway, for the last time, Please Review :) **


	39. Epilogue

**A/N: Hey everyone! Remember me? I recently read over this story and I found so many mistakes and so many things I didn't like. It's actually pretty terrible, huh?**

**But thank you all for giving it a chance and reading it! I decided that I'd write a short epilogue to make it up to you guys, and to say thanks for everything. **

_**-Epilogue- **_

"Maddie, stop that!" I scolded. My daughter giggled gleefully as she climbed over her father's head, causing his hat to fall to the ground. Vaughn smirked and grabbed her off him, and into his arms.

"Gotcha!" He exclaimed, beginning to tickle her. She screamed with laughter and squirmed to get away.

"Daddy!" She cried.

I laughed as I watched her get away and run as fast as her tiny feet could take her behind a tree. Vaughn smiled at me warmly, and then wondered aloud as to where she could have gone.

"Chelsea, could you help me for a moment?" My mother called from inside. I rose slowly from my chair, holding my swollen stomach, and went inside. I found her at the kitchen counter cutting up vegetables for a salad. "I need some help with cutting these, since your father dipped out on me. Again."

I smiled, shaking my head. "Typical of him."

She sighed. "Oh, I know. I don't know what I'm going to do with him. You better hope Vaughn doesn't end up like this when you're older."

I glanced out the window at him. He was peeking around the tree at Maddie. "I doubt he will."

"Honey, you sure know how to pick them, don't you? He's amazing with her."

"Much to my surprise. I didn't see him being good with kids."

"And little Maddie is so active! How do you two keep up with her? When you were four you weren't nearly as hyper."

"I don't know, I just hope this one isn't as wild." I patted my stomach.

She smiled at me, putting down her knife. "You're so grown up, Chelsea. I'm so proud of you."

She embraced me and I blushed, embarrassed. "Aren't you a little late? I'm not new to being an adult, Mom."

She sucked in a deep breath and pulled away. "Oh, I know. I just missed you so much when you were gone. I'm so glad you come to visit more often now."

I smiled slightly. "I know, Mom. You tell me every month."

We resumed cutting the vegetables in a comfortable silence. My mother smiled to herself as she worked, humming slightly. She's been so much happier since Vaughn and I started visiting her once a month. I felt terrible about losing contact with my parents, so I had to make it up to them. But in the end, it's almost as if they felt like they had something to make up to me. Every time we visit they have presents for Maddie and they prepare a big, home cooked meal. I insisted it wasn't necessary, but they wouldn't have it. They adored Maddie and Vaughn.

I looked out the window again at them, smiling. My heart filled with joy and love as I once again thought about how lucky I was. After all that drama and bad luck I went through, I'm finally here. Within me, I felt a fluttering sensation as the baby moved around. I couldn't wait until he or she was here. I knew that their life would be full of love, just as Maddie's is.

"Mommy!" I suddenly heard her whine. I turned and saw her come through the door, running towards me. I put down my knife and scooped her up in my arms.

"Yes, sweetie?"

"Daddy says I can have cake now!" She beamed. I narrowed my eyes and looked behind her at Vaughn. He stood there shaking his head, smirking.

"Did he now? Well Daddy isn't in charge of that. You have to eat dinner first." I told her.

Her face turned into a pouty frown. Her bottom lip quivered slightly. "But Mommy…"

"Hey," I said before she started crying. "Maybe if you go find grandpa, he'll have a piece of candy for you."

Her face lit up and she excitedly called out for her grandpa. I set her down and she dashed into the living room. Vaughn approached me.

"I didn't really say she could have cake now." He defended himself.

"Right." I said sarcastically. "And I definitely didn't catch you sneaking a brownie to her the other day before dinner."

He chuckled. "She just gets to me with those eyes."

"You mean your eyes." I said, poking him in the chest. "She has your eyes."

From the other room we heard my father call for my mother, and then Maddie laughing followed with a crash. I started to go, but my mother stopped me.

"I've got this Hun, you stay here and finish up." She hurried off into the living room.

I looked up at Vaughn, who was smiling down at me. He wrapped his arms around me and rested his chin on my head. I smiled and leaned into him, taking in his warmth and scent. I felt the baby kick against me, hard enough for Vaughn to feel. He chuckled and put his hand on my stomach.

"I think we have another active one here." He told me.

I groaned. "Oh, no. I don't think I can handle that."

"Sure you can." He took my mother's knife and finished up cutting her vegetables. "You're a great mother."

I sighed, smiling. "And you're a wonderful father."

We gathered all the ingredients and tossed them into the salad bowl, then cleaned up the counter. When we finished, I turned to Vaughn.

"So, I was thinking…" I began, taking his hand.

He grunted. "Oh, gosh. Here you go with your ideas."

I glared at him, "Come on, they're great. Anyway, I was thinking…I want your father to meet Maddie."

His face darkened, and he pulled his hand away from me. He looked like his old, mean self. "No."

"Vaughn, come on. I know it didn't go well when I met him, but—"

"Which is why I don't want him to meet her. He'll be just as rude to her as he was to you. No."

I sighed, thinking back to when I meet his father. It was at our wedding. I sent him an invitation even though Vaughn told me not to, and he actually showed up. But he hung off to the side the entire time, glaring. Then he finally approached us, and yelled at Vaughn for 'throwing his life away for a lowly farm girl'. I cried and Vaughn was outraged. It caused a scene and when his father stormed out, he stopped to tell me I shouldn't have intervened in Vaughn's career. And that was the last we heard of him. Though, I did send him short letters with updates and pictures of Maddie.

I frowned at the memory. Vaughn sighed, taking my hand again. "You can't possibly believe that it'll go well."

"We won't know unless we try. I want family to be an important part of our children's lives."

"But you know my father…" He grumbled.

"It's been over five years since then. He could feel differently."

"I doubt that."

"Please?" I asked, wrapping my arms around him and looking up at him. "Can we at least try?"

He frowned down at me. "Now I see where Maddie gets her begging skills from."

I stuck out my bottom lip, just as she does. "Please?"

He couldn't help but smirk. Then he sighed. "Okay. Maybe…"

I smiled, knowing that when he said maybe, it means yes. Even if it won't be right away.

"Thank you, Vaughn." I stood on my toes to give him a kiss. "I appreciate it."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever…" He muttered, blushing.

Maddie came into the kitchen then, trotting up to us. She held up a candy wrapper, as if in victory. "Grandpa gave me candy!"

Vaughn smiled, and reached down, ruffling up her hair.

"Now you have to promise me you'll finish your dinner." I told her.

"Maybe." She giggled.

I laughed, thinking how much she and Vaughn are alike. She grabbed ahold of both Vaughn and I's legs and said, "I'll think about it."

Vaughn put an arm around me, leaning his forehead against mine. "I love you."

I smiled. "I love you, too."

**A/N: Aaaaand that's it. I hope that was good enough for you all! I know it isn't all that interesting, but oh well. I hope you liked it. **

**Now, this is the end. For real this time. **

**If you want, look out for future stories by me. I need to start writing again, seeing as I haven't for months. **

**Review ! :)**


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